H-SC Biology Department Welcomes Back Dr. Randy Jones, ’98 to Discuss Career Path Decisions with Current Biology Majors

On April 14, Dr. Randy Jones, a 1998 Hampden-Sydney College graduate and current Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Virginia, visited the H-SC Biology Department to present a talk entitled “A Career Path Unforeseen.”  Dr. Jones’s talk focused on his experiences and career path decisions he faced during his high school years, his 4 years at Hampden-Sydney College, and his postgraduate work, and he concluded with remarks about those decisions that he is still facing today as he continues his research and education in nursing as a faculty member at UVA.  Dr. Jones has received numerous honors and awards for his teaching and research, including funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.  Most recently, he received a $350,000 grant from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation as Principal Investigator of a research project that aims to evaluate a decision aid for advanced prostate cancer patients and their support persons that is designed to facilitate decisions about treatment that affect quality of life.  His enthusiasm for his work and his insights into preparation for a scientific career after life at H-SC were both inspirational and informative to students and faculty alike.  Dr. Jones is the embodiment of “the Hampden-Sydney man,” and his endless successes are proof that “you really can do anything with a degree from Hampden-Sydney!”