Daniel W. Jones, M.D. is the Sanderson Chair in Obesity, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition and Director of Clinical and Population Science in the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research at The University of Mississippi Medical Center.  He also serves as Professor of Medicine and Physiology.

He has a 25 year association with The University of Mississippi serving in a number of capacities including Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine from 2003-2009 and as Chancellor of the University from 2009 -2015.  

Under his leaderships as Chancellor, UM undertook a major initiative to promote diversity across all its campuses and experienced an unprecedented construction boom, including new academic, residential and athletics facilities. During his tenure as Chancellor enrollment surged more than 26 percent and private giving to the university hit record highs, topping $100 million for four consecutive years including a record $138 million dollars in fiscal 2015. One of Jones' passions is volunteer service, and he has led UM faculty, staff and students to contribute thousands of hours to causes across the Oxford community, the state and around the world.

A native Mississippian, he graduated from Mississippi College in 1971, earned his MD in 1975 at the UM Medical Center and completed his residency in internal medicine there in 1978. He had a private medical practice in Laurel, then went to South Korea in 1985 serving as a medical missionary for seven years to fulfill a passion for health care service to underserved populations.  For more than twenty years, he has served as a medical education consultant to medical schools in North Korea. His research activities have focused on prevention of cardiovascular disease and racial and economic disparities in health outcomes. He was the first principle investigator for the landmark Jackson Heart Study, an NIH sponsored population study focused on identifying causes of disparate rates of heart disease in African Americans.

Active in the American Heart Association (AHA), Jones was the 2007-2008 national president and for years has served as a national spokesperson on high blood pressure. Currently he serves as a member of the executive committee of the AHA Center for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine.  He also represents the AHA on the ACC/AHA Guideline Writing Committee for the 2017 Hypertension Management Guidelines and the ACC/AHA Guideline Writing Group for the 2018 Cholesterol Management Guidelines.

A fellow of the American College of Physicians, he is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is designated as a specialist in clinical hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension Specialists. Jones was named one of the "Best Doctors in America" from 1996 to 2008 and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society.

Active in church and community organizations, Jones serves as a board member for the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.  His work in racial reconciliation has been recognized with the Mississippi Center for Justice 2015 Champions of Justice Award and as one of two honorees at the 2016 Jackson Friendship Ball.