Meet Dr. Valinda Bell-Jones, DNP, RN: From Transplant Recipient to Trailblazer in Peer Support

Mayra AlmendarezTransplant News

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 …

Spotlight on Dr. Arica Brandford: Advancing Community Engagement Across Health Disciplines 

Mayra AlmendarezTransplant News

Associate Director of Community Outreach & Engagement | Assistant Research Professor | Dorothy and Mickey Ables Distinguished New Century Chair  Leading with Purpose in Cancer Prevention and Community Research  Dr. Arica Brandford serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and an Assistant Research Professor of Community Engagement Science in Medicine at the Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center. She is also the inaugural Dorothy and Mickey Ables Community Outreach and Engagement Distinguished New …