![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/RSH_JonesDesma_web2024-150x150.jpg\")
Desma Marie Jones has been a cornerstone of the UNC Radiology family since January 2019. With her dual roles as Administrative Director for Clinical Research and Radiology Core Service Center, she\u2019s a powerhouse of organization, research, and leadership. But who is the woman behind the title? Let\u2019s dive into her story, her passions, and the quirks that make her approachable.<\/p>\n
A Journey Through UNC\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Desma\u2019s connection with UNC runs deep. She\u2019s been at the university since 2012, starting her career in dental research with the Adams School of Dentistry. From there, she moved into anesthesiology before finding her home in radiology. Her love of research is no accident. While she initially envisioned a career in the medical field, a detour into dental research revealed a fulfilling intersection of science, patient interaction, and meaningful impact.<\/p>\n \u201cResearch seemed interesting\u2014the perfect combination of science, helping people and interacting with people,\u201d she shares. And the rest is history.<\/p>\n From South Boston to the Triangle\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Originally from South Boston\u2014not the one in Massachusetts but a small town in Halifax County, Virginia\u2014Desma grew up splitting her time between there and Roxboro, North Carolina. Her journey to UNC began with a campus visit prompted by her stepmother\u2019s encouragement, and it was love at first sight. After completing her undergraduate degree in biology, Desma decided to plant roots in the area, and she now calls Durham home.<\/p>\n Although she claims no allegiance to a specific Durham eatery, Desma is partial to Stoney River in Chapel Hill\u2014a testament to her love of good food in good company.<\/p>\n The Traveler at Heart\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Desma\u2019s passport is well-loved, with stamps from favorites like Panama and St. Lucia. Travel appeals to her because it allows her to unwind, soak in natural beauty, and reset from her bustling professional life. She dreams of future adventures to Greece and Thailand but admits, \u201cI just want to go everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n One highlight of her travels? She goes on annual trips with her mom and sister, where memories and laughter are as essential as the destination itself.<\/p>\n A Day in the Life of a Research Dynamo\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Desma wears many hats in her role, overseeing everything from IRB applications to managing regulatory aspects and budgets for human research studies. Whether helping radiologists navigate patient recruitment and study consent or getting new clinical research studies up and running, her meticulous attention to detail ensures that every project runs smoothly.<\/p>\n Her leadership extends to the Radiology Core Service Center, where her team supports the UNC community with imaging services. Desma\u2019s oversight enables groundbreaking research to move forward, from anonymizing images to facilitating specialized research interpretations.<\/p>\n \u201cDesma is a true asset to our Radiology Research team,\u201d says Shanah Kirk, Radiology Core Service Center Manager. \u201cShe brings an abundance of knowledge to her role as director and exemplifies professional leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Behind the Scenes\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n When she\u2019s not coordinating research or traveling, Desma values time with family and friends. She\u2019s particularly close with her sister, who\u2019s nine years younger, and treasures the stories she\u2019s inherited from her grandparents. If given a chance, she\u2019d love to ask her late grandfather about his experiences during the Korean War\u2014a window into history she wishes she could explore further.<\/p>\n A Piece of Advice\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n If she could offer her younger self a nugget of wisdom, it would be this: \u201cDon\u2019t be so hard on yourself. You\u2019re going to be okay. Show yourself some grace.\u201d It\u2019s advice we could all take to heart.<\/p>\n One Word to Rule Them All\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n How does Desma describe herself in one word? Dependable. <\/strong>And it\u2019s clear from her dedication to her work and the relationships she nurtures that this word couldn\u2019t be more fitting.<\/p>\n Superpowers and Hallway Chats\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n If given a superpower, Desma would choose teleportation\u2014a logical pick for someone who loves to travel and has a busy schedule. And if you see her in the halls of UNC Radiology, don\u2019t hesitate to say hello. \u201cI am approachable and happy to stop and chat,\u201d she assures with a smile.<\/p>\n Desma Marie Jones is not just a leader in her field; she\u2019s a traveler, a family woman, and the kind of colleague who makes UNC Radiology a better place every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Desma Marie Jones has been a cornerstone of the UNC Radiology family since January 2019. With her dual roles as Administrative Director for Clinical Research and Radiology Core Service Center, she\u2019s a powerhouse of organization, research, and leadership. But who is the woman behind the title? Let\u2019s dive into her story, her passions, and the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":7576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[83,91,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-department-news","category-homepage-news","category-in-the-news","odd"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_OldWell-scaled-e1736778739360.jpg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_OldWell-scaled-e1736778739360-300x170.jpg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_OldWell-scaled-e1736778739360-768x435.jpg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_OldWell-scaled-e1736778739360-1024x580.jpg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_OldWell-scaled-e1736778739360-150x150.jpg","featured_image_alt":"Desma Jones standing in front of the UNC old well.","category_details":[{"name":"Department News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/"},{"name":"Homepage News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/homepage-news\/"},{"name":"IN THE NEWS","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/in-the-news\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Desma](\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/01\/Desma_Family_PuertoRico-300x189.jpg\")
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