Christopher Jackson, MD, FACP, associate dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Student Affairs and associate professor of medicine and medical education.
Students, faculty and leadership of USF Health and the Morsani College of Medicine welcomed Christopher Jackson, MD, FACP, as the new associate dean of the medical school’s Office of Student Affairs and associate professor of medicine and medical education.
Dr. Jackson comes to USF Health from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, where he served as assistant dean of student affairs, vice chair of education for the Department of Medicine, associate program director for curriculum, and associate professor of medicine.
Dr. Jackson has steadily become one of the southeast regions most influential physicians and educational leaders, having received numerous honors and awards including being inducted into the UT Health Sciences Academy of Master Educators in 2023 and Outstanding Teaching Award by the UT Alumni Association in 2022. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a 2021 fellow of the Southern Society of Clinical Investigation.
His research interests include medical education, practice evidence-based medicine, and leveraging and incorporating artificial intelligence into medical practice that will help lead to more positive patient outcomes.
Dr. Jackson’s interest in student affairs is rooted from his own experiences as a medical student at Augusta University. He found his first mentor and his biggest supporters in student affairs and strives to cultivate the same environment in student affairs that helped him through medical school.
Dr. Jackson said has always enjoyed working with students and helping them chart their career paths. His attraction to MCOM’s “young and scrappy” reputation mirrors his personality. His new role at MCOM will also allow him to “zoom out a little bit” and look at the bigger picture of building a program with a career-advising framework and pathways to ensuring students remain competitive for residency.
Dr. Jackson’s philosophy is shaped by the two best servant-leaders he knows, his grandparents. He lives by three rules:
- Be kind
- Be thorough
- Invest in people
“I’m excited and a little nervous,” Dr. Jackson said. “Overall, I have an immense sense of appreciation for the awesome opportunity that is here. One of my first projects is learning the names of all 130 new medical students so I can recognize them at their white coat ceremony,” he said with chuckle.
Dr. Jackson replaces Kira Zwygart, MD, who currently serves as the vice chair of education in the MCOM Department of Family Medicine.
Fun facts about Dr. Jackson:
- Earned his undergraduate degree in Biology and Sociology from Emory University
- Earned his medical degree from Augusta University
- Board certified in Internal Medicine
- First black president of the Southern Medical Association