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February 15, 2020

Jones promoted to rear admiral in Public Health Service

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The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service in January announced the promotion of Dr. Estella Jones to the rank of rear admiral.

Dr. Jones is believed to be the first black female veterinarian in the USPHS to achieve this rank, which is equivalent to the rank of brigadier general in other uniformed services. Rear admirals also earn the title and responsibilities of assistant surgeon general.

“We, along with Commissioned Corps leadership, rely on flag officers to exhibit the highest caliber of public health leadership and to provide regular input and recommendations on the future of our service,” wrote USPHS Admiral Brett Giroir and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams in an email announcing the promotion.

“Those chosen as flag officers exemplify the values of the Commissioned Corps and diligently work ‘to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our nation.’”

A 1989 graduate of Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Jones is deputy director of the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats in the Office of the Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration. 

In 2017, she was appointed to the new Tick-Borne Disease Working Group created by Congress to improve federal coordination of efforts related to tick-borne diseases.

Dr. Jones previously worked at the World Health Organization and the Institute for Primate Research in Nairobi, Kenya, and held a faculty appointment in comparative medicine and anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.