Patricia M Jones

Patricia M Jones serves as Professor of Pathology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Clinical Director of the Chemistry and Metabolic Disease Labs at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. She provides clinical consultation services at Parkland Hospital and the university hospital system while directing metabolic disease diagnostics for pediatric patients. Her expertise spans clinical chemistry, metabolic disorder diagnosis, and laboratory medicine leadership.

Dr. Jones' educational foundation includes:

• PhD in Molecular Biology with Biochemistry minor from Texas Woman’s University (1986)
• Clinical Chemistry Fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center
• American Board of Clinical Chemistry certification (1992)

Her research program centers on inborn errors of metabolism, with specialized focus on fatty acid oxidation disorders. She pioneers advanced diagnostic methodologies including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for metabolic testing. Her work significantly impacts newborn screening protocols and the understanding of metabolic crises in pediatric populations through development of reference intervals and novel analytical techniques.

Analysis of her 37 publications reveals consistent emphasis on metabolic diagnostics since 2000, with recent work (2023-2025) addressing pediatric reference intervals, vaccine responses in immunocompromised patients, and regulatory challenges for laboratory developed tests. Her publications demonstrate evolving methodological sophistication while maintaining clinical relevance to metabolic disease diagnosis.

Dr. Jones demonstrates exceptional professional leadership:

• American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) President (2016)
• National Academy of Clinical Biochemists (NACB) President (2014)
• AACC Board of Directors (2011-2013)
• Continuous AACC membership since 1986

As an educator, she serves on faculty for COMACC-accredited Clinical Chemistry and ACGME-accredited Pediatric Pathology/Medical Genetics fellowship programs. She trains pathology residents in clinical chemistry interpretation and metabolic disease consultation while mentoring fellows through complex diagnostic scenarios. Her leadership extends to shaping laboratory medicine standards through professional society guidelines.

At Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, Dr. Jones directs specialized laboratories performing organic acid analysis, amino acid quantification, and fatty acid metabolism testing. Her team utilizes tandem mass spectrometry for newborn screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for organic acid profiling, providing critical diagnostic support for metabolic emergencies in pediatric patients across North Texas.