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Monks from the Shaolin Temple USA teach a weekly mind-body fitness class sponsored by the Health Improvement Program for members of the Stanford community that incorporates Chinese martial arts and Buddhist teaching. In front is Lisa Becker of Biology.

James Ralph Jacobs

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Photograph of Jim Jacobs with a cardinal red outline.

James R. Jacobs, MD, PhD, became the executive director of Vaden Health Center and associate vice provost for Student Affairs in March 2016. Jim is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  Prior to joining Stanford, Jim held leadership positions in college health at four other universities across the country.  In an earlier phase of his career, Jim was on the faculty at Duke University, where he did research in the Department of Anesthesiology and taught in the School of Engineering. His areas of research included clinical pharmacology and mathematical modeling.

Jim has a medical degree from Duke and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His undergraduate degree is from Johns Hopkins University. He was also heavily influenced by a year spent as a visiting scholar at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Jim is board certified in emergency medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Jim’s clinical interests in college health include urgent care, wound care and men's health. His academic interests include emerging young adults, biosecurity and secrecy.