Veronica C. Jones, M.D.

Specializing in breast cancer surgery, the much-honored Veronica C. Jones, M.D., joined City of Hope in 2015 after serving as an assistant professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Dr. Jones graduated with honors from Stanford University and received her medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She completed her internship and residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. She also studied HIV/AIDS and reproductive health during a clerkship in Kenya. Along the way, she picked up a variety of awards from Chief Resident of the Year to Best Surgical Oncology Paper.

A breast cancer researcher, Dr. Jones focuses on understanding mechanisms of aggressive biology across different races and ethnicities with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Supported by an institutional K12 grant, cancer center pilot funding and generous philanthropic donations, Dr. Jones investigates the biological characteristics of aggressive breast cancer that portend increased mortality among Black women. 

Dr. Jones has developed multiple protocols investigating molecular pathways involved in breast cancer development and progression. She has collaborators across the City of Hope enterprise as well as with various institutions, including California Institute of Technology and Jackson Laboratories, which allow her to conduct novel gene sequencing and develop animal models for preclinical drug development.

Prior to City of Hope, Dr. Jones researched the multifaceted nature of disparities in breast cancer treatment and survivorship. She investigated factors that led to poorer reconstruction rates among underserved populations and implemented strategies to improve the utilization of immediate breast reconstruction. She also prospectively studied factors that led to upper quarter dysfunction in a predominantly African American breast cancer survivorship population and proposed solutions to mitigate this morbidity following treatment.

She is particularly interested in understanding this correlation to better treat luminal B breast cancers in African American and Latina or Hispanic American patients. Over 30 percent of the patients she serves in her clinic are of this ethnic background and many present with an aggressive type of luminal B breast cancer.

Dr. Jones writes extensively and has focused her research on health disparities in underserved populations, as well as new technologies in breast cancer care.

Dr. Jones's current research focuses on understanding the biology behind disparities in breast cancer outcomes. To this end, she is conducting multiple research projects investigating molecular pathways involved in breast cancer development and correlating these findings with breast imaging techniques. This multipronged approach is designed to provide early detection of aggressive biological characteristics so that treatments can be tailored to patients.

Active City of Hope Protocols Currently Led by Dr. Jones:

• McCune J, Jones VC, Seewaldt VL. Metformin and chemoprevention: potential for heart-healthy targeting of biologically aggressive breast cancer. Frontiers in Prevention, in press, 2019.
• Tossas-Milligan K, Shalabi S, Jones V, Seewaldt VL. Mammographic density: intersection of advocacy, science, and clinical practice. Breast Can Res., in press 2019.
• Tobin SJ, Wakefield DL, Jones V, Liu X, Schmolze D, Jovanović-Talisman T. Single molecule localization microscopy coupled with touch preparation for the quantification of trastuzumab-bound HER2. . Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 11;8(1):15154. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33225-0.  PMID: 30310083
• Wu C, Ashing KT, Jones VC, Barcelo L. The association of neighborhood context with health outcomes among ethnic minority breast cancer survivors. J Behav Med. 2018 Feb;41(1):52-61/ PMID: 28752331
• Ashing KT, George M, Jones V. Health-related quality of life and care satisfaction outcomes: informing psychosocial oncology care among Latina and African-American young breast cancer survivors. Psychooncology. 2018 Apr;27 (4):1213-1220. PMID: 29370454
• Dumitra S, Jones V, Rodriguez J, Bitz C, Polamero E, Loscalzo M, Kruper L, Warner SG. Disparities in managing emotions when facing a diagnosis of breast cancer: Results of screening program of couples distress. Surgery. 2018 Jan 19. pii: S0039-6060(17)30861-9. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2017.11.022. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29370926
• Polverini AC, Nelson RA, Marcinkowski E, Jones VC, Lai L, Mortimer JE, Taylor L, Vito C, Yim J, Kruper L. Time to Treatment: Measuring Quality Breast Cancer Care. Ann Surg Oncol. 2016 Oct;23 (10):3392-402. PMID: 27503492
• Lai L, Binkley J, Jones V, Kirkpatrick S, Furbish C, Stratford P, Thompson W, Sidhu A, Fraley C, Okoli J, Beech D, Gabram S. Implementing the Prospective Surveillance Model (PSM) of Rehabilitation for Breast Cancer Patients with 1-Year postoperative Follow-up, a Prospective, Observational Study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2016 Oct;23(10):3379-84. PMID: 27334210
• Jones V, Linebarger J, Perez S, Gabram S, Okoli J, Bumpers H, Burns B, Mosunjac M, Rizzo M. Excising Additional Margins at Initial Breast Conserving Surgery (BCS) Reduces the Need for Re-excision in a Predominantly African American Population: A Report of a Randomized Prospective Study in a Public Hospital. Ann Surg Oncol, 2016 Feb;23(2):456-64. PMID: 26254169
• Fair AM, Wujcik D, Lin JM, Grau A, Wilson V, Champion V, Zheng W, Egan KM. J Obesity, gynecologic factors, and abnormal mammography follow-up in minority and medically underserved women. Women’s Health (Larnmt). 2009 Jul; 18(7):1033-9. PMID: 19558307
• Jones VC, Carlson GW. Breast J. Disparities in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy: time for a change [Editorial]. Jul-Aug; 20(4):337-8. PMID: 24985527