March 21, 2023

TO:
    UMMC School of Medicine Faculty, Staff and Students

FROM:

    Dr. Loretta Jackson-Williams

    Vice Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine


SUBJECT:
    Appointment of School of Medicine Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kristen J. Alston, currently tenured associate professor of family medicine at UMMC, as the assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Medicine, effective July 1, 2023.

[cid:image002.jpg@01D95BD8.F1F37C70]Dr. Alston has demonstrated a passion for the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout her career. I anticipate that her appointment to this new position will have an impact that will include improved recruitment and retention of rural and underrepresented medical students, faculty, residents and staff; development of School of Medicine personnel; and collaboration within the institution in the interests of diversity, equity and inclusion.

A graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., Dr. Alston received her Master of Arts in clinical psychology from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, before earning her PhD there in clinical health psychology in 2015.

As a psychology intern at Henry Ford Health Sciences Center in Detroit, Michigan, she completed rotations in emergency medicine, acute care surgery/surgical ICU, and behavioral cardiology. At UMMC, she was a postdoctoral fellow in clinical health psychology in the Department of Family Medicine.

Following her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Alston joined the UMMC faculty in 2016 in the Department of Family Medicine. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Millsaps College in Jackson and as a member of the adjunct graduate faculty at Jackson State University.

Within the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Alston works collaboratively with residents, physicians and other health care providers as a part of an integrated care team providing behavioral health clinical services to patients with co-morbid behavioral concerns and acute/chronic health conditions.

She has served for several years as wellness director for the Department of Family Medicine and as a health psychology post-doctoral fellowship supervisor. She also assists with DEI efforts within the department.

Her departmental and university service at UMMC includes membership on several advisory, program evaluation, cultural competency and liaison committees.

Dr. Alston is the recipient of various scholarships and academic awards, including the Miller-Moore Graduate Scholarship in Psychology at East Carolina University for excellence in clinical practice and academics, and Most Cited Paper Award for her publication in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Licensed as a psychologist by the Mississippi Board of Psychology, Dr. Alston is a member of the Mississippi Psychological Association and served as its first African American president in 2020.

The co-author of several peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Alston has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Family Practice and has made a number of oral and poster presentations at professional conferences.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Alston to her new role in the School of Medicine.

Thank you.


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