08. 20. 2018

The Graduate School Welcomes Rhonda Jones-Webb

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The Graduate School is pleased to welcome Professor Rhonda Jones-Webb to the Graduate School as our new Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Initiatives.

This newly created, quarter-time position is part of our commitment to promoting excellence in postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota and to better serve our postdoctoral scholars. As part of the Graduate School’s leadership team, Professor Jones-Webb will collaborate broadly with faculty and collegiate leaders to shape the strategic vision for our new Office of Postdoctoral Initiatives. She will be the chief advocate for the interests of the more than 780 postdoctoral researchers and scholars at the University, and will oversee all administrative aspects of the Office. Professor Jones-Webb's recruitment concludes a competitive search that we launched this spring for this important position in the Graduate School.

Rhonda Jones-Webb, Ph.D. is a professor in the School of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. She has been engaged in a number of training roles including serving on the faculty steering committee of a T32 training grant on cancer-related health disparities in the Medical School and on the national advisory board of a T32 grant on cardiovascular disease epidemiology in her Division.  

Her research focuses on alcohol epidemiology and policy with a special focus on race, class, and neighborhood influences. She has secured funding for research and training grants from major funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources & Services Administration, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Professor Jones-Webb has a long history of working to create an inclusive and welcoming research and training environment and currently serves as co-chair of the School of Public Health’s Health Equity Work Group. She is very excited about being on the ground floor of the new Office of Postdoctoral Initiatives.

“The position will allow me to have an impact on improving the postdoctoral experience of scholars at the University and shaping the next generation of scholars and scientists. It is an honor to serve as assistant dean," says Professor Jones-Webb.

We are excited to welcome Professor Jones-Webb to the Graduate School and look forward to growing our support for postdoctoral scholars at the University of Minnesota.