With great sadness we announce the loss of Dr. Judith K. Jones
Judith K. Jones, MD, PhD, FISPE, age 79, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 after months of battling lung cancer. Dr. Jones was deeply respected by her family, friends, colleagues, and students; her passing is a tremendous loss to us all.
Those of us who had the opportunity to work for Dr. Jones are also mourning the absence of an accomplished scientist, strong businesswoman, and thoughtful mentor. She had a diligent work ethic and commitment to her employees, companies, and clients, and a pioneering spirit for furthering medical products safety, drug utilization, and drug development.
Dr. Jones led an extraordinary career. She was the Founder, President, and CEO of The Degge Group, Ltd. (1988-2017); President of the Pharmaceutical Education and Research Institute, Inc. (PERI, www.peri.org); and Executive Director and Primary Editor of DGI, LLC (www.bridgetodata.org). Prior to that she received her medical training at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by clinical training, a fellowship in clinical pharmacology, and a PhD in developmental pharmacology at University of California at San Francisco. In 1978, she came to Washington, DC as Director of the FDA’s Division of Drug Experience (now Epidemiology) until 1984, and was then Special Assistant to the Director, Biometrics and Epidemiology through mid-1985.
From its formation as an independent 501c(3) non-profit organization in 1995, Dr. Jones served, guided, and educated in her role as PERI’s President for 25 years. During her tenure, PERI achieved long-standing growth and success as it continually grew to meet the educational needs of the biopharmaceutical and medical device communities. More than 1,300 training courses have been held worldwide since PERI’s inception, with approximately 37,000 participants receiving premier education and professional development. In addition to her leadership role, Dr. Jones authored, edited, and taught at several courses, including programs on epidemiology, drug safety, and pharmacovigilance.
In 2017, the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) honored Dr. Jones with an Honorary Lifetime Fellowship – a prestigious award only given in exceptional circumstances to individuals with special accomplishments in the field of Pharmacoepidemiology (Dr. Jones was the third recipient in 33 years).
Her knowledge lives on globally in her numerous scientific publications, the medical products she helped make safer, decades of students and interns that she taught and mentored, and her contributions to professional organizations (including ISPE, ISPOR, ASCPT, DIA, WHO CIOMS, USAN Council, and numerous others).
Among her proudest achievements was in 2009 when she joined forces with fellow Alexandrians Richard Moose and Ernie Lehmann to explore the idea of creating an organized community of volunteers to support older adults, helping them age safely and independently in their homes. As a result of her work, the nonprofit organization At Home in Alexandria (AHA) opened its doors in 2011. The model that Dr. Jones and others envisioned and put into place is known as the “village movement” and today there are over 200 village organizations similar to AHA across the nation.
Judith is survived by her husband, William C. Rogers, of Clifton, Virginia, a sister, Tobi Jones, of Woodland, California, and a sister, Patricia Huff, of Brunswick, Georgia.
In lieu of flowers, you may donate to ISPE in memory of Dr. Jones via www.pharmacoepi.org/donate-now.