Dr. Cozzette Lyons-Jones

” I seek to empower people to be healthy, healed and well in three dimensions- body, soul and spirit.“

BIOGRAPHY FOR NEPO AWARDEE DR. COZZETTE LYONS-JONES

Dr. Cozzette Lyons-Jones has an undergraduate degree in Science Communication from Cornell University, a medical doctorate from the State University of New York School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in her hometown of Buffalo, and an Executive Master of Public Health from UCLA. She is a recipient of the Ann G. Quealy Memorial Fellowship Endowment Award from UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy & Management, identifying her as an influencer impacting the public health landscape. Dr. Lyons-Jones is a member of the Delta Omega National Honor Society of Public Health for outstanding academic achievement, devotion to public health principles, and exceptional service in public health. Physicians for a Healthy California honored Dr. Lyons-Jones with the 2022 Frank E. Staggers MD Award for her work taking significant action in improving the health of communities of color and reducing health disparities in California as President of the Association of Black Women Physicians and as Chief of Adult Medicine at Watts Healthcare Corporation. The NAACP recognized Dr. Lyons-Jones’ outstanding service to the community during a highlight reel shown at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards television broadcast.

As Chief of Adult Medicine at Watts Healthcare Corporation (WHCC), a historic Federally Qualified Health Center birthed out of the Watts Uprisings of 1965, Dr. Lyons-Jones played an integral role in transforming the care delivery model throughout the COVID pandemic. An Infection Control Team member, Dr. Lyons-Jones facilitated ad hoc committees developing protocols for the drive-through testing program, assisted contact tracing efforts, guided managers in COVID quarantine and isolation protocols, and provided enhanced medical clearance of employees returning to work from COVID-related leave. When WHCC pivoted from face-to-face to telehealth visits, Dr. Lyons-Jones offered in-service training to staff at the flagship and satellite clinics. She drew on her experiences at WHCC as a recurring guest speaker in the UCLA Executive MPH course Integrative Health Systems, educating public health students about community health centers and the impact of COVID-19 on these institutions. Dr. Lyons-Jones’ contributions at Watts Healthcare Corporation toward eliminating barriers to accessing health care during the pandemic have been invaluable!

Dr. Lyons-Jones is the Immediate Past President of the Association of Black Women Physicians (ABWP), a nonprofit organization established in 1982 focused on closing health disparities gaps through community education, professional support of women physicians of color, and mentoring future Black doctors. During her term as President of ABWP, the Association’s work centered on the presidential platform of health disparities and the public health crisis of racism, partnering with March of Dimes and First 5 LA through the African American Infant and Maternal Morbidity and Mortality initiatives; the Alzheimer’s Association to educate health professionals and laypersons on the disproportionate impact of the silent pandemic of Alzheimer’s on Black women; and Trans America Institute with the publication of ABWP’s second edition Healthy Soul Food Cookbook. Under Dr. Lyons-Jones’ presidency, ABWP has participated in numerous advocacy efforts addressing the public health crisis of gun violence, policing, disparities in sickle cell disease treatment research, and Black maternal health, and has endorsed tobacco reform in California. She has prioritized strengthening the pipeline of rising doctors of color, championing ABWP’s Mentor Match Program under its popular Sister-2-Sister offering. In partnership with grassroots organization TIOS (This Is Our Shot), Dr. Lyons-Jones and several ABWP members were subject matter experts in webinars that addressed COVID19 vaccine hesitancy, particularly among communities of color. ABWP participated in vaccine drives for Watts Healthcare, Kaiser Downey, and Advantage Health Now at Faithful Central Church in Inglewood. Dr. Lyons-Jones and other ABWP members joined the public health department’s VaccineAll58 campaign leading online forums one church at a time. They were honored for this work during Black History Month in 2022 and again in 2023 with online salutes to Dr. Lyons-Jones and the Black women physician members of ABWP who presented for “Shot of Faith.”

As an advocate for improving global health care, Dr. Lyons-Jones has lobbied on Capitol Hill for Global AIDS funding, Graduate Medical Education funding, and opioid and chronic condition reimbursement policies through her affiliation with the American College of Physicians’ Advocacy Committee. She has led medical missionary teams to India, South Africa, and Rwanda in collaboration with the African Methodist Episcopal church. She also provided health care assistance to earthquake-ravaged Haiti in 2010 with the California NGO, Giving Children Hope. U. S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters invited Dr. Lyons-Jones to present a status update on Haiti five years after the earthquake.

Dr. Lyons-Jones’s heart work is in the area of Alzheimer’s dementia due to her personal experience as a caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with dementia at a young age. She is a member of the Alzheimer’s Congressional Team and established the Association of Black Women Physicians as a national partner of the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Lyons-Jones is affiliated with Maria Shriver’s Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) nonprofit and the Alzheimer’s Los Angeles’ Dementia Care Network, and was a Brain Trust Member for Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Alzheimer’s Task Force.

Dr. Lyons-Jones is married to her college sweetheart, Noel, and is the mother of two beautiful children. She and her husband co-host the radio show UnControlled Substance with Dr. Cozzette on The Real Urban Radio Network.

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Professional Summary

Experienced, Board Certified clinician with a demonstrated history of working in the ambulatory clinic & hospital settings.
Strong healthcare services and community health experience with a Master’s Degree in Public Health focused in Executive Leadership from University of California, Los Angeles.
Skilled in Managed Care, Medical Education, Care Coordination, Healthcare IT, Nonprofit Organizations, Media Training and Public Speaking

Credentials