Jacob Ross | STARTneuro Alumnus
B.S. (Neurobiology)Cohort 2021
Background: After I was medically retired from the US Navy, learning more about the medical concerns I faced became a primary driver of my interest to pursue a career in clinical neuroscience. Having the lived experience of grappling with chronic pain and other issues in my own life has given me a unique perspective on the research in which I’ve been involved over the last several years. I’m hoping to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and help other veterans through research and clinical practice.
Research while at UC San Diego: I’ve been a member of several different labs while a student at UCSD, all of which have been clinical neuroscience labs. I started in a lab doing pain research while I was an undergraduate student, and pivoted to PTSD research as a graduate student.
Post-graduation journey: Since graduating in June 2023, I earned my Emergency Medical Technician certification over the summer and then started a master’s degree through the UCSD Biological Sciences Department BS/MS program, working with a large fMRI dataset Serving in the military gave me an interest in better understanding the effects of trauma on human health, and I’ve enjoyed both getting into existing literature and learning new data analysis techniques in the course of bringing my thesis project from the initial proposal to getting results ready to present.
What are you doing now? I’m currently finishing my master’s project and preparing to defend my thesis. Alongside that I’m helping to collect neuroimaging data for a related project and coordinating enrollment for several studies both within the VA and at UCSD. Outside of either lab, I’m also serving as director of outreach services for a Syringe Service Program (SSP) operating in East Village in downtown San Diego, providing safer substance use supplies and quality of life items for members of our local community.
A few words about STARTneuro: STARTNeuro helped me realize that the barriers I’ve encountered related to my service in the military do not need to hinder my success. The opportunities to learn techniques used in neuroscience and gain exposure to ongoing research at UCSD related to chronic pain and trauma exposure provided by STARTNeuro are helping to propel me into an incredibly meaningful and rewarding career helping other veterans overcome their own barriers and live better lives.