Grace Marie Jones, PhD

Areas of Expertise

• Culinary Medicine
• Medical Nutrition Education
• Metabolic Health and Fructose Metabolism
• Curriculum Development
• Health Professions Education Research
• Community-Engaged Scholarship
• Teaching Kitchens
• Chronic Disease Prevention
• Interprofessional Education
• Service-Learning
• Faculty Development

Biography

Grace M. Jones, PhD is an Associate Professor at Touro University California whose work bridges nutrition science, medical education, and community health. She leads and collaborates on research examining the metabolic effects of diet, including NIH-funded studies on fructose metabolism and cardiometabolic health. Dr. Jones co-developed Touro’s integrated Culinary Medicine curriculum, preparing future physicians to translate nutrition evidence into clinical practice. Her community-engaged scholarship connects medical students with local organizations through cooking education, nutrition counseling, and family wellness programs, advancing health equity while strengthening the link between academic medicine and community well-being.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY June 2010
• Master of Science Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY June 2005
• Bachelor of Science San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA May 2000

Certifications

• Limited Permit - Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) license
• National Diabetes Prevention Program Group Coaching, obtained in September 2022
• Effective College Instruction (ACUE), obtained in April 2021
• National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Master Trainer Coach, obtained in November 2016
• National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach, obtained in 2015

Honors and Awards

• Innovative Teaching Award (course level) for the “Health Meets Food” Courseware Curriculum Integration, Touro University California, 2022
• TCUS Research Publication Award, Biomedical, Health, and Natural Sciences Category, Gold Award, 2022
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists – Travel Award – 1st Time Judge, 2022
• NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Individual Award, Pre-doctoral Fellow, 2008 – 2010

Research

• NIH R01 DK140477
  Schwarz & Jones (MPI), Role: Principal Investigator
  08/13/2025 – 06/30/2030
  Fructose Metabolism Effects on the Liver: Unraveling the Role of Defective Intestinal GNG in Individuals with Obesity
• AACOM
  Jones (PI), Role: Principal Investigator
  October 1, 2025 – May 31, 2027
  A Family Wellness & Belonging Series: A Partnership Between Local Community Schools and Osteopathic Medical Students
• AACOM
  Stevenson (PI), Role: Co-investigator
  January 31, 2025 - July 31, 2026
  Integration of an Innovative Virtual Culinary Medicine Curriculum into Undergraduate Clinical Medical Education
• NIH R01 DK132064
  Jones (PI), Role: Principal Investigator
  5/1/2022 – 1/31/2027
  Extra-hepatic postprandial metabolism of dietary fructose
• Touro University System Seed Grant
  Jones (Co-PI), Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  6/1/2021 – 5/31/2022
  Dietary Fructose: Intestinal DNL and Postprandial Lipoproteins
• NIH R01 DK11603
  Schwarz (PI), Role: Co-investigator
  1/1/2019 – 1/1/2022
  Fructose: Substrate, Stimulus, or Both?
• NIH R01 HL137716
  Stanhope (PI), Role: Co-investigator
  04/01/2018 – 01/31/2023 .
  The effects of orange juice compared with sugar-sweetened beverage on risk factors and metabolic processes associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

Teaching Responsibilities

• Fundamentals of Medicine course
• Integrated Systems-Cardiovascular
• Respiratory and Renal course
• Integrated Systems-Musculoskeletal and Neurology course
• Integrated Systems-Gastrointestinal
• Endocrine
• Reproductive course for medical students
• Medical Biochemistry course for Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences students