This month’s member spotlight is shining on Dr. Lenette Jones, PhD, RN. Dr. Jones is a behavioral nurse scientist interested in eliminating the health disparities affecting African-American women with hypertension. Her program of research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms – biological, psychological, social, and physical – of self-management interventions. She uses neuroimaging (fMRI) to explore the neuroprocesses associated with self-management behaviors, such as diet, exercise, and medication-taking. She also examines how health information behavior (seeking, sharing, and use) can be enhanced to support blood pressure self-management. In her current studies, Dr. Jones is designing and pilot-testing interventions to enhance self-management of blood pressure among African American women.

• Tell us a bit more about the details of your current research/projects

I am currently conducting my study called Empowering WHISE women. WHISE is a theoretically based, multicomponent intervention. Guided by focus groups and other studies I have conducted, I developed the WHISE intervention, a mobile application (app) which links an overarching information sharing component with three classical management recommendations (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-DASH diet education, a moderate to vigorous physical activity program, medication adherence promotion). I am currently conducting a randomized controlled trial with 50 African American women with hypertension to examine 1) the feasibility and likeability of the app and 2) its efficacy in increasing health information sharing, self-management behaviors, blood pressure control, and quality of life.

• What is innovative/new/exciting about these projects?

The WHISE intervention was created for African American women with hypertension, provides education on self-management strategies, and promotes health information sharing among users and their peers. My research shows that sharing with peers is critical to self-management success and when health information is shared with peers, it is more relevant, meaningful, and useful to African American women with hypertension. In my current projects, I apply principles of cognitive neuroscience, using fMRI as a tool to understand and strengthen African American women’s unique, socially shared patterns of health information.

•  What is the anticipated outcome of this research?

As a health information and cardiovascular scientist and community advocate, I develop strategies to aid African American women in making healthy choices (diet, physical activity, medication adherence). The innovative design of WHISE allows for measurement of its effect on self-management behaviors, blood pressure control, brain activity, and quality of life. My research builds self-management skills and enhances blood pressure control in African American patients, who are at high-risk for advanced cardiovascular disease, health inequity, and negative outcomes (e.g., renal disease, stroke, premature death).

•  How it will benefit patients and clinicians?

The WHISE intervention will contribute to moving communities toward health equity by 1) promoting self-management skills and 2) transforming how scientists and practitioners consider self-management and engage with underrepresented groups.

• How is Precision Health is supporting you and/or your research? 

Precision Health is supporting me and my work by helping to connect me with resources that I was previously unaware of and by promoting my research.

• What are your research interests, broadly?

I am interested in achieving health equity for all persons. My contributions are centered on improving the health of African American women with hypertension and the overall health of the Black community.

• How does your work apply to the field of precision health?

My research has direct application to precision health. A better understanding of how behavior changes in response to education programs will improve the precision and tailoring of self-management interventions

• Please provide links to recent/significant work.

Saslow, L. R., Jones, L. M., Sen, A., Wolfson, J. A., Diez, H. L., O’Brien, A., … & Richardson, C. (2023). Comparing Very Low-Carbohydrate vs DASH Diets for Overweight or Obese Adults With Hypertension and Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Trial. The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(3), 256-263.

Jones, L.M., Hawkins, J., Mitchell, J., Wright, K. D., & Cuffee, Y. (2022). Health Social Networks of Black Women With Hypertension. Nursing Research, 10-1097.

Jones, L. M., Piscotty Jr, R. J., Sullivan, S., Manzor Mitrzyk, B., Ploutz-Snyder, R. J., Ghosh, B., & Veinot, T. (2023). Psychometric Evaluation of the Modes of Health Information Acquisition, Sharing, and Use Questionnaire: Prospective Cross-Sectional Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e44772.

Bozkurt, B., T. Ahmad, K. M. Alexander, W. L. Baker, K. Bosak, K. Breathett, G. C. Fonarow, P. Heidenreich, J. E. Ho, E. Hsich, N. E. Ibrahim, L. M. Jones, S. S. Khan, P. Khazanie, T. Koelling, H. M. Krumholz, K. K. Khush, C. Lee, A. A. Morris, R. L. Page, II, A. Pandey, M. R. Piano, J. Stehlik, L. W. Stevenson, J. R. Teerlink, M. Vaduganathan and B. Ziaeian (2023). “Heart Failure Epidemiology and Outcomes Statistics: A Report of the Heart Failure Society of America.” Journal of Cardiac Failure 29(10): 1412-1451.

• What do you like to do when you aren’t doing research?

When I’m not doing research, I enjoy spending time with my family – especially watching my daughters grow and blossom. I like traveling to new places, attending concerts and sporting events, and entertaining/hosting my friends.