Latonya Riddle-Jones, M.D.

Latonya Riddle-Jones, M.D., Class of 2008, is an assistant professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and serves as vice chair, chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer for the Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Riddle-jones knew medicine was her calling at a young age after early interactions with the health care system and the care of her younger brother. Growing up in Inkster, Mich., her brother was taken to a community hospital that could not meet his emergent medical needs, and he had to be airlifted to a major academic hospital 30 minutes away. She observed the care of children with multiple medical needs from the outpatient clinical setting to the intensive care units by the age of 7. She also observed a severe lack of diversity in health care professionals, which has greatly influenced her current work.

Her studies in Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University, medicine at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have equipped her with the tools needed to approach health care in the 21st century. Dr. Riddle-Jones has also completed the HIV Clinician Scholars Program, Leadership in Health Policy Program certification with the Society of General Internal Medicine and the Midwest Fellowship for Primary Care Champions at the University of Illinois – Chicago.

She focuses on using and teaching health systems science to medical students and residents to empower a new generation of physicians and clinical leaders to tackle health inequities and injustice to improve the overall health. In addition to her role as assistant professor, she is the medical director of theCorktown Health Center, Michigan's first LGBTQ-focused health center.

Her primary clinical interest, teaching and research efforts are focused on preventive health, health equity and health literacy in education. She serves as associate director of the Tri-County Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program operated in partnership with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and sponsored by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provides free and low-cost screening, diagnostic services and access to treatment for breast and cervical cancer. Dr. Riddle-Jones is a board member of the Wayne County Medical Society and serves as the Wayne County Medical Society Young Physician Committee chair. This work is collaborative with her role as co-course director for Service Learning and Community Engagement, co-area director for the Public Health, Advocacy and Community Engagement Scholarly Concentration at the School of Medicine, and member of the Health Equity and Justice in Medicine Steering Committee.

Dr. Riddle-Jones has been a leader in the evolution of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for the Department of Internal Medicine. She was recently named a Healthcare Hero by Crain’s Business Detroit and a finalist for SEEN Magazine’s Changemaker in Medicine Award two years in a row.