A native of the Nashville area, Jacob found his pathway to medicine by first attending Middle Tennessee State University to study Audio Engineering. After only one semester of undergraduate studies, he realized that becoming a physician was in fact his calling. While at MTSU, Jacob found himself immersed in basic science research, and owing to this further realized his desire to become a physician-scientist. He graduated with degrees in Mathematics and General Science before attending the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Memphis to pursue his MD. While in medical school, Jacob conducted two years of full-time research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital studying the utilization of the body’s own immune system to fight cancer under the support of grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His time at St. Jude made it clear that children were the population he was passionate about pursuing a career in.

Now back in Nashville to complete his residency in Pediatric Medicine, Jacob is focused on utilizing the vast network of support and research opportunities afforded by Vanderbilt University Medical Center to further his training as a pediatric physician-scientist. Jacob’s research at Vanderbilt focuses on how the body’s immune system, namely T cells, uses various dysregulated metabolic pathways to develop auto-inflammatory and graft-versus-host disease-like conditions. A life-long musician, Jacob enjoys playing his guitars, writing music, and spending time with his wife and daughter when he isn’t ‘working’. Jacob is thankful to be back in Nashville to serve the children of Middle Tennessee and surrounding areas.