WALTHAM – Jacob Jasper, a member of Tufts University School of Medicine’s Class of 2025, has been selected as the winner of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s History of Medicine Essay for 2024 with his piece entitled “RADICAL: Oliver Cope and the
Birth of Breast Conservation Therapy.”
Jasper was born in Los Angeles and raised in Las Vegas. He graduated from California Lutheran University, a liberal arts college in Thousand Oaks, California.
At Tufts University School of Medicine, Jasper became involved in health advocacy work, serving as president of the school’s chapter of the American Medical Association and Massachusetts Medical Society.
"While in medical school, Jasper has focused on studying the impact of policy, culture, and social stigma on healthcare outcomes, including how these factors affect medication adherence among patients with tuberculosis in India."
He is currently on a year-long hiatus from medical training while conducting clinical breast cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The essay contest is sponsored by the Medical Society’s Committee on History and invites essays related to the history of medicine or public health in Massachusetts since the establishment of the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1781. Articles are judged on scholarship, originality, and clarity of expression.
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the statewide professional association for physicians and medical students, supporting 25,000 members. We are dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians of Massachusetts and patients locally and nationally. A leadership voice in health care, the MMS contributes physician and patient perspectives to influence health-related legislation at the state and federal levels, works in support of public health, provides expert advice on physician practice management, and addresses issues of physician well-being. Under the auspices of the NEJM Group, the MMS extends our mission globally by advancing medical knowledge from research to patient care through the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Catalyst, and the NEJM Journal Watch family of specialty publications, and through our education products for health care professionals: NEJM Knowledge+, NEJM Resident 360, and our accredited and comprehensive continuing medical education programs.
