About

Dr. Jasmine "Jaz" Gray is a professor, advocate, and transformational storyteller from Memphis, Tennessee. She believes that story transforms the soul. With expertise in entertainment and patient narratives, her work explores how people can use narrative to develop well-being and how the media production process can be used to empower communities. She delivers keynotes, moderates panels, and leads workshops on a range of topics including the power of stories, healthy-self image, media representation, health equity, patient-centered care, well-being,  empowerment, authenticity, and resilience.

​

​

Dr. Gray has been featured on affiliate networks for NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox and on national and international platforms including NPR and BBC Radio. She has worked for media publications including the Nashville Tennessean and the Louisville Courier-Journal and entertainment corporations including Cartoon Network, BET, and Paramount Pictures, where she co-founded an ad-hoc committee to address health-related diversity. Dr. Gray’s work has been featured in publications including the women’s empowerment bestseller “Storealities: A Collection of Stories by Empowering Women to Empower Women.” and accepted into range of notable academic journals in the communication field including Communication Monographs and Health Communication.

​

Her first short film, a day-in-the-life documentary called Ryan's Story (a day-in-the-life documentary following a young boy with a rare health condition), premiered at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Since 2006, her nonprofit Jaz's Jammies Inc. has donated over 17,000 pairs of new pajamas to sick and displaced children and created philanthropic opportunities for over 8,000 people. The organization has expanded to organize lively, themed pajama parties for kids in children’s hospitals including the signature Jaz’s Jammies Carnival of Dreams. Dr. Gray is passionate about empowering marginalized, misrepresented or stigmatized groups of people. She is motivated to use every gift and opportunity to glorify God and help transform lives.

​

​​

Dr. Gray earned her bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University. She earned a PhD in Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Over her academic journey, Dr. Gray has conducted communication research internationally in Ghana and the UK, as well as presented research in China, France, and Australia. Dr. Gray is currently an Assistant Professor in the Communication Division at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.