Jerry L. Ainsworth - biography

For most of his adult life, Dr. Jerry Ainsworth has served at colleges and universities as a professor and administrator. He holds a graduate degree in public health from Yale University, where he was also a visiting scholar in law and received his Ed.D from the University of Arkansas. His professional interest in international public health took him to Central America nearly 30 years ago where, through some chance meetings with native experts and archaeological authorities, he embarked on an intense and methodical study of the Maya and Book of Mormon cultures.

Throughout his decades-long quest, Dr. Ainsworth was invited to observe official archeological investigations in the Peten region of Mexico where thousands of pyramids lie buried under a dense forest canopy. Additionally, he has been involved in countless archaeological expeditions throughout Mexico, attended numerous scholarly conferences in the U.S. on the Maya, and has studied many archeological remnants from these great civilizations. As an accomplished pilot, boatman and scuba diver he used all of these skills investigating Maya ruins in the jungles, waters and highlands of Mesoamerica.

His work culminated in the book The Lives and Travels of Mormon and Moroni, which has become a best seller. He is also the author of a new book Love and Health. Dr. Ainsworth is a third generation member of the LDS Church. Born in Louisiana, Dr. Ainsworth served a mission in Eastern Canada and has served in bishoprics, high councils and Director/Instructor of numerous LDS Institutes of Religion.