David Kline Jones, 40, died on September 11, 2021. He was an associate professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University (BU) School of Public Health.
David was raised in New York City where, in his youth, he worked as a pretzel vendor at Yankee Stadium. A creative young man, David played bass guitar with his band at venues such as CBGB.
In later years, David earned a PhD from the University of Michigan in health services organization and policy, with a concentration in political science. He also had a master of arts in political science from the University of Michigan, a master of science in public health from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor of arts from McGill University.
David’s loss is unfathomable to his friends, colleagues, students, and his family. David greatly enriched the lives of those who knew him, and through his memory and the lasting impact of his legacy, he will continue to have a profound impact on the community.
David was greatly admired for his kindness, decency, generosity, warmth, joyfulness, intellect, entrepreneurship, optimism, empathy, and civic-mindedness. He always gave his undivided attention to anyone who wished to speak with him; in the words of one colleague, “he made every person he encountered feel seen with his incredibly open heart.” In the long list of roles that David held, be that husband, father, son, friend, or scholar, David set an example for all to follow.
David was ahead of the curve in so many ways. He impressed with his prioritization of his growing family while managing to excel in graduate school. As a graduate student, David began to publish articles in high-profile academic journals and various media outlets, providing unique insights in clear, accessible language on key health policy issues of the day.David began giving Continuing Medical Education (CME) talks at hospitals as a graduate student. He also presented at various medical societies, with the goal of, in his words, “help[ing] others [to] better grasp the historical and political context of health reform.”
David was a dear friend and collaborator; we both graduated from the same doctoral program (though I, a decade or so earlier) before settling in the greater Boston area. It was clear that David absolutely loved his colleagues at BU and the close friendships his family made in his community. We are grateful for the love and support David’s colleagues and neighbors have shown David and his family. David was a native New Yorker, but he and his family truly found their forever home in the Boston area.
David was a loving and devoted husband to Sarah and engaged father to Olivia, Anne, and Thomas. He had a fierce passion for life and experience, including laughter, politics, conversation, running, hiking, music, the New York Yankees, and the Liverpool Football Club. He sang the Liverpool anthem to his children every night. David was a gifted scholar who shined a spotlight on and sought to address the prevailing inequities he saw through his research, writing, teaching, and professional and community service. David had a magnetic personality; he was beloved by any person fortunate enough to cross his path.
David made an indelible mark on the health policy profession. He was awarded AcademyHealth’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration’s John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators, and the BU School of Public Health Excellence in Teaching Award (twice). David’s first book, Exchange Politics: Opposing Obamacare in Battleground States (2017), explored state decisions regarding the type of health insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. He was finishing up his second book at the time of his death, retracing Senator Robert Kennedy’s steps in the Mississippi Delta to examine the social determinants of health in the region.
In speaking to the profound loss to the health policy community, Sayeh Nikpay, Sarah Gollust, and Dori Cross—fellow alumni from David’s graduate program—wrote that “we are bereft for this loss personally and for the field that won’t get the benefit of decades more of David’s research and mentoring. But we hope those working in health policy carry on his legacy, following his example of joyful and selfless service to others, deep curiosity and listening, and commitment to using research to make meaningful policy change.”
David’s mentor and collaborator, Jon Oberlander, wrote that, “I will remember David as an exceptional scholar who cared deeply about health care access, justice, and equity. In his brief career, David produced a remarkable amount of compelling work illuminating the dynamics of American health care politics, federalism, the intersections between politics and the social drivers of health, and much more. David had a knack for asking important research questions—and then answering them in eloquent, persuasive ways.”
The BU School of Public Health has permanently endowed a scholarship in David’s name to provide annual needs-based awards to graduate students in an underrepresented population, with a preference for students interested in studying health policy who are committed to social justice. David’s colleagues in the health politics and policy section of the American Political Science Association are in the process of establishing an award in David’s honor to recognize distinguished early- to mid-career scholars.
Some people are so vigorous and alive that it is not possible to believe that they could ever be gone. David was one of those people. I am blessed to be counted among the many whose lives he touched so deeply. David was an overwhelmingly positive force in the lives of those who knew him. We can honor David’s memory by continuing down the path that he modeled so well, by better balancing our personal and professional lives, by actively engaging communities to improve the well-being of our fellow citizens, and by going the extra mile so that future generations of scholars can continue to learn from the examples he set for us.
May his memory be a blessing.■
