SUMMARY
Robert M. Jacobson, M.D., improves health outcomes of empaneled primary care patients through interventions at a population level, with an emphasis on improving vaccine uptake. Dr. Jacobson also focuses on interventions that healthcare organizations, such as Mayo Clinic, can pursue rather than those pursued by public health organizations or insurers. These interventions often operate outside of healthcare professionals' encounters with patients but complement those efforts rather than compete with them.
Dr. Jacobson collaborates closely with researchers at Mayo Clinic through the Population Health Science Scholars Program, which is a joint effort between the Division of Epidemiology and Mayo's primary care collaboration. The primary care collaboration includes community internal medicine, family medicine, and community pediatric and adolescent medicine.
Focus areas
- Population-based interventions that improve vaccination delivery. Dr. Jacobson pursues the development and evaluation of population-based interventions resulting in improved on-time and up-to-date routine vaccination rates for both children and adults.
- Pragmatic trial designs. Dr. Jacobson researches methodology for evaluating the positive and negative impacts of population-based interventions.
- Population health concerns and solutions. Dr. Jacobson evaluates population health concerns and solutions using the Rochester Epidemiology Project as a rich data source of healthcare experiences.
Significance to patient care
Primary care in the United States relies mainly on office visits to help patients stay healthy. This system depends on patients being able to schedule their own care and show up to their appointments in person. However, many important parts of care — such as information sharing, education, screening and early support — can happen outside of scheduled in-person appointments.
Dr. Jacobson and his team create new ways to deliver care beyond office visits. Their work uses technology, saves time for patients and connects care to community resources. These efforts improve individual health, strengthen community well-being and reduce healthcare costs.
Professional highlights
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Mayo Clinic:
- T. Denny Sanford Professorship of Pediatrics, 2024-present.
- Co-director, Population Health Science Scholars Program, 2014-present.
- Associate editor, systematic and narrative reviews, Academic Pediatrics, 2012-present.
- Co-principal investigator, "Less Pain, Less Fuss, Right Now!" and "Make It Count!" Multilevel Interventions for Patient, Parent, and Practice To Enhance Provider Recommendations for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, National Cancer Institute, 2018-2025.
- Robert Todd Duncan Alumni Achievement Award, Butler University, 2022.
- Minnesota's Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Champion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018.
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American Academy of Pediatrics:
- Outstanding Large Chapter Award, 2014.
- President, Minnesota Chapter, 2012-2014.
- Pasteur Merieux-Connaught Award for Communicable Disease Epidemiology, International Society for Infectious Diseases, 1996.
- Excellence in Research Education Award, Primary Care Research Methods and Statistics Conference, 1995.