Welcome to the Misinformation in Medicine Panel! Introducing the panelists: Zaria Jones is a registered nurse and Clinical Competency Coordinator whose background spans skilled nursing, long-term acute care, and medical-surgical nursing. Through staff education and hands-on leadership, she helps nurses build confidence and provide compassionate, safe patient care. Outside of work, Zaria is a newlywed who values family, faith, and personal growth. She is continuing her education with the goal of becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Dr. McKinney grew up in North Minneapolis and completed all of his medical training in the Twin Cities, with board certifications in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, and Clinical Informatics. He practices clinically seeing injured workers, and he is one of few clinicians in Minnesota who evaluates work and community-related environmental toxicologic exposures. Following his work as a researcher on a COVID-19 vaccine trial, he engaged in addressing COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, including helping to initiate a longitudinal vaccine clinic as part of the Shots at the Shop national initiative to support engagement within local barbershops that occurred every weekend for a year. He has continued to study and educate on vaccine hesitancy in the community and through research, including teaching University of Minnesota medical students about medical communication and combating misinformation. More recently, he has served as the Principal Investigator on a CDC-funded grant to implement clinic-based interventions to improve adult vaccination rates outside of primary care specialties, including training clinicians to overcome hesitancy and address misinformation. In general, Dr. McKinney is passionate about justice for all patients, both in the clinic as well as in the community, and ensuring that healthcare outcomes and preventable hazards are equitably distributed across populations rather than disproportionately affecting some more than others. He focuses on the individual’s needs, recognizing that every patient has their own unique situation and health goals. Navjot Buttar is a public health professional working at the intersection of epidemiology and health communication. A dental surgeon and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Candidate at Columbia University, she explores how people understand, evaluate, and use health information, and how communication can build trust and support informed health decisions. In the past, she has led multi-million federally funded research, and her portfolio spans oral health, mental health, women’s health, disability, infectious disease response, and violence prevention. Her current work spans health misinformation, digital health communication, and development of evidence-based, culturally responsive communication strategies for diverse communities. She is the creator and host of Health Savvy You, a podcast dedicated to building health literacy and empowering people to navigate health information with confidence. Quantico McMillan from Red Springs, NC earned his Bachelors Degree in Communications from Fayetteville State University and my Masters Degree in Communications and Media Studies from Queens University of Charlotte. He is a writer, videgrapher and currently works as Weekday and Weekend Morning News Director. He is also the Communications Coordinator for the Ally (pronounced like Ali) Foundation a non profit organization based in Fayetteville NC
