Donald Jones

Donald Jones is a globally recognized leader in digital medicine, AI and technology enabled health services and virtual-first healthcare delivery. As a senior executive he built two of the largest, multi-billion dollar, nationwide US healthcare service companies.  He is a sought out as a speaker, advisor and board member. Over the last 40 years he has worked with over 70 companies in pharmaceutical, medical device, wearable, smart apparel, material science and healthcare services. He is a Co-founder and Operating Partner of Takeda Digital Ventures (TDV) and sits as an independent director on boards of VC and PE backed companies. Don has advised the boards and executive suites of many large pharmaceutical and medical device companies including Dexcom, Resmed, Tandem, Cepheid, Sanofi, Teva, Astra Zeneca, Genentech, Otsuka, Novo Nordisk, JSR Micro, Medmarc and the Verily/Sanofi joint venture, Onduo. He is a Senior Advisor with both McKinsey & Co. and the GLG Institute. Jones serves as Chief Digital Officer of the Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI), collaborating with the renowned Eric Topol, MD, where they co-founded Scripps Digital Medicine, the world’s first digital health clinical trial center, a Physician Master's Program in Digital Medicine and the non-profit West Health Institute, raising over $130 million for its launch.
‍

‍
In early 2020, Don founded the Virtual First Care Coalition (formerly IMPACT), in partnership with Jen Goldsack, CEO of the Digital Medicine Society (DiME).  Over the past 5 years Don has been involved in founding virtual medical specialty practice companies in GI, Rheumatology, Emergency Medicine, Opthalmology, and Heart Failure. He is on the boards of AI companies working on primary care, patient centric digital front doors and remote patient monitoring and Chronic Care Management solutions. Don also advises the largest edge based AI company, Edge Impulse, in the industrial and healthcare spaces. Recently he returned to his EMS roots and co-founded Tele911, a unique solution in high value patient ER diversion, care navigation and coordination. Don holds a bachelors degree in Biology/Bio-engineering, a Juris Doctor and a MBA. He holds multiple issued patents.
‍

‍
​In 2002, Don joined Qualcomm and led its Wireless Health Global Strategy through 2014. In 2005 he founded the international Wireless Life Sciences Alliance, merging it with HIMSS in 2016. Earlier in his career, Don was COO of MedTrans (re-named AMR), in which he was instrumental in growing from $4.5 million into the largest emergency services provider in the world (now Global Medical Response), with over 38,000 EMS personnel, 8000 ambulances and 550 medical aircraft. During this time he integrated 138 acquisitions over a 3 year period. He was Founder and Chair of EMME, Mexico's largest consumer membership healthcare provider and largest private practice, with over 450 physicians. As a AMR Board Advisor, he helped build EmCare, a physician group (now Envision Healthcare), growing to over 28,000 physicians. In 2014, EvoNexus recognized Donald Jones as Digital Health Innovator of the Year. Don conceived the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a global competition for a consumer device which successfully makes medical diagnoses. The XPRIZE was awarded in Hollywood in April 2017.

‍

Speaking

‍
Donald is a stimulating speaker who is spreading the word on the promise and potential of digital and wireless medicine and providing key advice to potential players. He has given keynotes and presentations to healthcare, pharmaceutical, healthcare payer, government, and medical device audiences, as well as semi-conductor audiences. He also speaks to general audiences about the future of health care. He has also been a guest lecturer at numerous universities and forums around the world.

‍

Awards

CommNexus recognized Donald Jones as 2014 Digital Health Innovator of the Year
The San Diego Transcript named Jones one of San Diego’s Top Influentials in 2010
Fierce Health IT named Jones “One of 10 Disruptive Forces in Health IT”.

‍

Credentials

• Chief Digital Officer, Scripps Translational Science Institute, working on the convergence of genomics and wireless health
• Founder and Former CEO, Trial Fusion, developing digital heath products in partnership with pharmaceutical, medical device, food companies and others
• Co-founder, Scripps Digital Medicine, the world’s first clinical trial center focused on digital health and large data set
• Vice President, Wireless Health Global Strategy and Business Development, Qualcomm
• Founder and Chairman, Wireless Life Sciences Alliance
• Member, Milken Institute Advisory Committee on Biomedical Innovation
• Member, the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Digital Health
• JD, University of San Diego
• MBA, University of California, Irvine
• BS, Biology and Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego

‍