Living Donor Kidney Transplant Recipient | DNP-Prepared Nurse | Advocate for Patient Empowerment
A New Chapter in a Lifelong Mission
After earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in December 2025, Dr. Valinda Bell-Jones is now actively seeking employment in the field she’s most passionate about—kidney transplantation. While she paused her professional work to pursue her studies, she never paused her advocacy. Her capstone project, conducted in partnership with Dr. Amy Waterman’s Patient Engagement (PE) Lab at Houston Methodist Hospital, exemplifies her dedication to advancing transplant care through peer mentoring, patient education, and support.
A Passion Reignited Through Collaboration
Dr. Bell-Jones has followed Dr. Waterman’s work with Explore Transplant for over a decade, but their formal collaboration began after Valinda moderated one of Amy’s presentations for the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance. That spark of shared purpose led to multiple conversations and ultimately a meaningful partnership. When Valinda approached Amy about completing her DNP capstone project with the PE Lab, Amy helped secure the necessary approvals and supported the development of a Kidney Transplant Peer Mentor Educational Intervention—a quality improvement initiative that became a key milestone in Valinda’s career.
A Mission Perfectly Aligned
Dr. Bell-Jones’ personal and professional values deeply align with the PE Lab’s mission. Her passions lie in enhancing patient engagement, supporting informed decision-making, improving quality of life, and advancing patient-centered care across every phase of the transplant journey. With firsthand experience as a transplant recipient and years of service in national advocacy roles, she brings unique insight into what patients truly need to thrive.
From Capstone to Centerwide Vision
During her time with the PE Lab, Valinda not only led her own project but also participated in focus groups and interprofessional meetings, gaining deeper understanding of the Lab’s interdisciplinary approach to improving outcomes. As the PE Lab transitions into a full-fledged Center, she envisions her role expanding to lead the implementation of a robust Peer Mentor and Peer Support program across all organ-specific transplant programs at Houston Methodist. Her DNP project results clearly demonstrated the value of peer support in improving transplant patients’ clinical outcomes and quality of life—and she’s ready to help scale that impact.
Learning, Leading, and Breaking New Ground
Valinda’s capstone journey taught her more than she expected—from navigating IRB applications and building REDCap survey tools to confronting the realities of working with patients across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. She also discovered that DNP-prepared nurses are still under-recognized in many interdisciplinary settings. Despite these challenges, she was deeply moved by the dedication and skill of the PE Lab team, crediting them for making her project a success. “Their commitment to the mission of the Lab and their support of my work was amazing,” she says.
A Life Shaped by Experience, Service, and Purpose
Beyond her academic and clinical expertise, Dr. Bell-Jones brings a deeply personal perspective to her work. She is a living donor kidney transplant recipient who has also become a national thought leader in dialysis and transplant care. In an extraordinary act of generosity, she voluntarily joined a kidney chain to help other patients receive life-saving transplants. That experience transformed her life and career, solidifying her commitment to improving education, activation, self-management, and clinical outcomes for patients living with chronic kidney disease, on dialysis, or pursuing transplant.
She has also served in high-level leadership roles, including as Vice President of the OPTN Board of Directors, where she advocated for the rights of transplant candidates, living donors, and donor families.
Finding Joy in Creativity, Culture, and Family
When she’s not leading projects or advancing transplant advocacy, Valinda enjoys tablescaping for the holidays, recreating favorite restaurant dishes, traveling, and immersing herself in new cultures. Her zest for life is reflected in everything she does—bringing beauty, curiosity, and joy to her personal world, just as she does in her professional one.
A Bold Vision for the Future of Transplant Care
Dr. Bell-Jones hopes to see the PE Lab evolve into a national leader in peer mentoring and support—building on the evidence from her capstone project to create lasting change for patients everywhere. She believes in the Lab’s ability to expand access, improve clinical outcomes, and redefine what patient-centered transplant care looks like.
Her Advice to Future Collaborators?
“Just do it.”
“The PE Lab team is amazing to work with and committed to improving the lives and engagement experiences of transplant patients.”
From recipient to researcher, from mentor to national advocate, Dr. Valinda Bell-Jones is proof that lived experience, clinical expertise, and academic rigor can come together to create meaningful change. Her work with the PE Lab is only the beginning of what promises to be a powerful next chapter.