Kenneth Jacobs, MD, professor emeritus of Surgery and past chair of the Department of Endocrine Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, died April 12 at home. He was 93.
“Dr. Jacobs’ impact on surgery at Vanderbilt is immeasurable,” said Seth Karp, MD, H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery and chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences. “He was a great friend and ardent supporter of our surgical residency and education programs throughout his career and into his retirement. Throughout his career he mentored hundreds of surgical residents and was highly regarded for his excellence in training and mentorship.
“In 1985, The J. Kenneth Jacobs Fellowship in Surgery was established in Dr. Jacobs’ honor with the support of his surgical colleagues, Dr. James O’Neill Jr. and Dr. Steven Eskind. In 2019, Dr. Jacobs and his family provided a substantial gift to endow the Jacobs Fellowship in Surgery to support surgical residents during their laboratory years.”
Dr. Jacobs received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and, after completing his medical degree at Northwestern University and a stint with the U.S. Public Health Service, he returned to Vanderbilt to complete his surgical residency under his mentor, then Department of Surgery Chair H. William Scott Jr., MD. He also completed surgical training at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, where he met Ellen Wineman, then a senior at Connecticut College, and they married in 1956.
Dr. Jacobs entered private practice in Nashville in 1963, and during his approximately 40 years of practice, he was extensively involved in student and resident education at VUMC and Saint Thomas Hospital. In 1991, he received the Shovel Award, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s highest teaching award, and he twice received the Thomas Brittingham Clinical Teaching Award, in 1992 and 1996.
He initially retired from clinical practice at age 69, but returned when James O’Neill Jr., MD, then chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences, asked if he would come back to work with residents in the Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Center operating rooms.
In 2000, he joined the staffs of the Nashville VA Medical Center and Nashville General Hospital. In 2002, Dr. Jacobs was appointed to the faculty of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as the H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery and became the director of Endocrine Surgery at VUMC.
Dr. Jacobs was a member of The American Board of Surgery and The American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He was a past president of The Nashville Surgical Society, The H. William Scott Jr. Society, and the Surgeons Travel Club.
He was a member of leading medical organizations nationwide and authored many peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters.
“Professor Jacobs was a surgeon’s surgeon,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer. “He has been highly revered for decades for his surgical skill and clinical judgment as well as his teaching, mentoring and kindness. He leaves our Surgery department with a great legacy.”
Dr. Jacobs is predeceased by his parents Julius and Elizabeth Elterman Jacobs. He also was predeceased by two brothers, Marvin (Dorothy) Jacobs and Donald (Eleanor) Jacobs.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Ellen Wineman Jacobs, and their three children, Margaret Jacobs Flax (Samuel) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, Thomas W. Jacobs, and William E. Jacobs (Erica), and grandchildren, Caroline Flax Ganz (Michael), Andrew Flax, Ellen Flax, Annie Jacobs, Olivia Jacobs, Daniel Jacobs, Sarah Jacobs and Joshua Jacobs. He also is survived by his sister, Sylvia Jacobs Shepard, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Dr. Jacobs had two fierce passions. The first was his family, especially his grandchildren. The second was his patients and students. He was revered as a mentor to surgical students and residents alike. Friends and family knew Dr. Jacobs to be an avid bridge player and deeply caring, purposeful and kind.
A private burial will be held Monday, April 14, followed by a celebration of life at 2 p.m. at The Temple, 5015 Harding Pike, Nashville.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to Second Harvest Food Bank or the J. Kenneth Jacobs Fund for Surgical Residents at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
