Student Spotlight: Jacob Enders

Jacob Enders (’23) feels grateful that while attending the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine he had the space to delve into all the different areas of medicine and truly discover at what he excels.

“I had the chance to explore my options and figure out what I enjoyed most. When I witnessed firsthand how much radiology affected my patients and heard their stories, I remember thinking, ‘I want to be the person delivering information about a specific diagnosis, such as where a tumor is located or other pathology that can only be obtained by imaging, and explain how we’ve determined their diagnosis,’” he says.

Originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Jacob attended The Ohio State University, earning a degree in biomedical engineering. When he enrolled at CCLCM, he took advantage of the opportunity to earn a dual degree. Next month, he’ll graduate not only with a medical degree, but also a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.

For Jacob, the best aspects of the CCLCM program are the research-focused year, small class size, free tuition scholarship (which all students receive), unique grading system and problem-based learning groups.

“Looking forward, I’ll really appreciate my time at CCLCM because it was genuinely a great experience that allowed me to explore all my options,” he says.

When trying to narrow down his clinical specialty, Jacob considered one of the courses he really enjoyed: imaging physics. Later, as he was performing his clinical rotations, radiology became a prominent focal point, and he noticed the ways radiology helped his patients by providing a course of action to treat them. Once radiology piqued his interest, he completed a few rotations in interventional radiology and knew almost immediately that it was something he could and wanted to do.

“Radiology is one of those things that you don’t necessarily get exposed to directly in medical school. You somewhat have to go out of your way to find it. And I think when a lot of people do find it, they end up liking it,” he says.

Jacob’s passion for radiology extended into his research, even earning him an award. His research thesis project on the use of ultrasound tomography for prostate cancer won best abstract at the Engineering and Urology Society Conference.

His best advice to incoming students is to be selective with research commitments and ensure that you’re passionate about the research you decide to dedicate your time to. “Make sure your heart is in it; it will make a world of a difference!” he says.

On Match Day, Jacob discovered that he matched to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, where he will begin his residency training in diagnostic radiology.