Gowers Round: Case Presentation With Jake Sossamon: Double-Daughter-Disaster

Jake Sossamon

third-year medical student at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Jake Sossamon  has been recognized for his academic pursuits but also for his significant contributions to the medical community. Before embarking on his medical journey, Jake showcased his versatility and dedication as a collegiate baseball player, demonstrating the same level of commitment and teamwork in sports as he does in his medical career.

Jake is a passionate mentor, which has been evident through his efforts in guiding over 50 medical and premedical students, providing them with the support, knowledge, and the kinship necessary to navigate the complexities of medical education. Recognizing the challenges faced by students preparing for the new Pass/Fail USMLE Step 1 exam, Jake created an innovative asynchronized online course. This platform has proven to be invaluable, aiding more than 200 students across the nation in excelling on this critical step towards their medical licensing.

In addition to his educational initiatives, Jake is the host of the "Rotation Ready" podcast, a resourceful series where he interviews physicians from every specialty of medicine. This initiative is specially designed to assist third-year medical students in preparing for each new rotation, offering insights and advice to help them thrive in their clinical years.

In 2023 Jake was the recipient of the prestigious “Quintuple Threat Award” for his dedication to achieving excellence in clinical care, education, mentoring, discovery research, and to lifelong learning. The award recognizes the extraordinarily gifted medical student who exhibits multifaceted attributes with high likelihood for future promise of significant impact on patients and their families, trainees, and upon their chosen specialty.  

Further exemplifying his leadership and commitment to the medical community, Jake was selected as the inaugural medical student representative on the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) MS Section's Chair’s Advisory Roundtable. This extracurricular activity underscores Jake’s dedication to service and seeks to contribute to advancing the future of our understanding of MS in particular, and for neurology in general. Jake plans to enter the United States Neurology Residency Training Match this Fall.