Jacob Beckstead

Fall 2024-Spring 2026

Jacob Beckstead has been a research assistant at Vanderbilt University’s Pharmacology Department for eight years, investigating the roots of colorectal cancer metastasis and developing neuropharmacological research tools. His journey into clinical informatics began while investigating links between metastatic risk and atopic disease, where he manually reviewed thousands of patient records for study eligibility. This introduction to electronic health records (EHR) and the immense wealth of information they contain inspired me to pursue the efficient exchange of information between the research and clinical sectors. Additionally, the recent commercialization of large language models has opened new possibilities in data processing but has also introduced security risks. One of his chief goals as a researcher is to develop methods and policies to ensure the integrity of research models and the safety of patient data.