Bio

Jacob Less is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health. He also works as a Quality Improvement Coordinator in the Adult Endocrine Clinic in the Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology, and Metabolism (as affiliated with the Type 1 Diabetes Exchange). In his time affiliated with Stanford, he was a Chief Scribe of Stanford's Medical Scribe Fellowship (COMET), completing his term in June 2021. Since then he has transitioned into an advisory role as a Chief Emeritus with COMET where he continues supporting the program's development and conducting research.

As a Chief Scribe, Jacob managed a cohort of 15 scribes placed in 11 specialty clinics and working with 30 providers. He scribed for three providers at Stanford, working in the Endocrinology and Cardiology clinics. As a member of the COMET Leadership team, he strived to uphold the program's pillars--mentorship, research, and social fellowship. Outside of his duties in COMET, Jacob is continuing to grow and learn as a clinical researcher. He has worked as a research assistant on projects in primary care/family medicine, and diabetes mellitus. He has presented at three national conferences, both as a collaborator and lead presenter, and participated in two peer-reviewed publications. He is open to new experiences in the field of research to further his growth and build new skills.

Jacob earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2018 and received his Pre-Health Professions Certificate from the San Francisco State University Post-Baccalaureate Program in June 2021. Jacob is a pre-health student currently applying to medical schools with hopes to matriculate starting in Fall 2022. Jacob developed a strong background working with marginalized communities during his undergraduate years at UCLA. He has worked in higher education as a peer counselor, and peer counseling coordinator, to the Filipino Community at UCLA and also volunteered as a social caseworker to offer low-barrier social and medical services to the medically underserved in Hollywood and Santa Monica. He has high hopes to continue supporting marginalized communities along his educational and professional journey.

Honors & Awards

  • National Innovative Program Award, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (2021)
  • Outstanding Quality Improvement (QI) Champion Award, Type 1 Diabetes Exchange (2021)
  • Mongelli Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement, Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA (2018)

Education & Certifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Biology (2018)

Contact

  • Work
    University - Staff Department: Med/Primary Care and Population Health Position: Casual - Non-Exempt

Additional Info

Professional Affiliations and Activities

  • Member, Endocrine Society (2021 - Present)
  • Member, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (2020 - Present)

All Publications

  • Impact of a Medical Scribe Program on the Educational Trajectory of Prehealth and Underrepresented in Medicine Students. Family medicine Less, J., Nguyen, C., Teng, V., Lin, S. 2023; 55 (6): 389-393

    Abstract

    Sparse research exists on evaluating the effects of medical scribing programs on the educational trajectory of prehealth students. This study assesses the impact of the Stanford Medical Scribe Fellowship (COMET) on its prehealth participants' educational goals, preparation for graduate training, and acceptance into health professional schools.We distributed a 31-question survey with both closed- and open-ended questions to 96 alumni. The survey collected participant demographics, self-reported underrepresented in medicine (URM) status, pre-COMET clinical experiences and educational goals, application to and acceptance at health professional schools, and perceived impact of COMET on their educational trajectory. SPSS was used to complete the analyses.The survey had a 97% (93/96) completion rate. Among all respondents, 69% (64/93) applied to a health professional school and 70% (45/64) were accepted. Among URM respondents, 68% (23/34) applied to a health professional school and 70% (16/23) were accepted. Overall acceptance rates for MD/DO and PA/NP programs were 51% (24/47) and 61% (11/18), respectively. URM acceptance rates for MD/DO and PA/NP programs were 43% (3/7) and 58% (7/12), respectively. For current or recently graduated health professional school respondents, 97% (37/38) "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that COMET helped them succeed in their training.COMET is associated with a positive impact on the educational trajectory of its prehealth participants and a higher acceptance rate into health professional schools than the national rates for both overall and URM applicants. Scribing programs may serve as pipeline development and help increase the diversity of the future health care workforce.

    View details for DOI 10.22454/FamMed.2023.416490

    View details for PubMedID 37307390

  • Voice Assistants and Cancer Screening: A Comparison of Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana. Annals of family medicine Hong, G., Folcarelli, A., Less, J., Wang, C., Erbasi, N., Lin, S. 2021; 19 (5): 447-449

    Abstract

    Despite increasing interest in how voice assistants like Siri or Alexa might improve health care delivery and information dissemination, there is limited research assessing the quality of health information provided by these technologies. Voice assistants present both opportunities and risks when facilitating searches for or answering health-related questions, especially now as fewer patients are seeing their physicians for preventive care due to the ongoing pandemic. In our study, we compared the 4 most widely used voice assistants (Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana) and their ability to understand and respond accurately to questions about cancer screening. We show that there are clear differences among the 4 voice assistants and that there is room for improvement across all assistants, particularly in their ability to provide accurate information verbally. In order to ensure that voice assistants provide accurate information about cancer screening and support, rather than undermine efforts to improve preventive care delivery and population health, we suggest that technology providers prioritize partnership with health professionals and organizations.

    View details for DOI 10.1370/afm.2713

    View details for PubMedID 34546951

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3497-5768