Jewel Constance is a person-centered practice policy fellow at HSRI, driven by a commitment to person-centered care and equity in human service systems. She is particularly skilled in collaborative organizing and data analysis.
Jewel is neurodivergent and is both the daughter of immigrants and a mother to two sons who are also neurodivergent. Her own experiences of navigating public health care systems for herself and her family have strengthened her commitment to collaborative care and shared power. Jewel believes that when individuals are seen and heard, they can become the authors of their own stories, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie eloquently puts it.
Jewel first learned about person-centered practices during her time at AARP, where she saw its positive impact on a nursing home resident. The resident was a retired lighthouse keeper used to staying up late but struggling to adapt to the home's schedule. The home improved his care by listening to his story and accommodating to his routine. This experience sparked Jewel's interest in person-centered planning. After her time at AARP, Jewel worked as a senior regional organizer at Indivisible Project and as a senior program coordinator at Tulane University. At America Votes, she used data analysis to inform campaign strategies by identifying likely voters.
Currently pursuing a Master of Science in health informatics, Jewel aims to deepen her understanding of data's role in shaping equitable public health care systems, aligning with HSRI's mission to foster a future where human service systems empower marginalized communities.
Outside of work, Jewel enjoys visiting new parks with her kids, hiking, reading, and dancing like no one’s watching.
Education
- Master of Science in health informatics at Morehouse School of Medicine
- Bachelor of Science in psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana
Recent Projects
- NCAPPS: Transforming how we think, plan, and practice