Blum Center Program: Caring for Yourself While Caring for Someone with Cancer
We care about the family and friends that help provide care for our patients at Mass General Cancer Center and recognize the emotional and physical toll this can take.
About Jamie Jacobs, PhD
Dr. Jamie Jacobs is a clinical psychologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Behavioral Medicine Service and an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is a clinical researcher and the Director of Cancer Caregiving Research within the MGH Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program (CORE). Dr. Jacobs received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami, Florida, specializing in health psychology and behavioral medicine. She completed a post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She co-teaches the Mind, Brain, Behavior seminar course “Fighting Cancer with the Mind” at Harvard University.
Dr. Jacobs's clinical practice focuses on improving coping and quality of life for people during treatment for cancer and cancer survivors. She specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy in the Psychiatric Oncology Service at the Mass General Cancer Center. Her research focuses on evidence-based psychosocial interventions to promote behavior change, such as adherence to treatment, and optimize patient and caregiver physical and mental health outcomes during and after cancer. Dr. Jacobs has over 40 published works, including peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She has been the principal investigator and co-investigator of funded grants from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for peer-reviewed journals such as JAMA Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Psycho-Oncology, Cancer, and Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Jacobs supervises and mentors trainees in the Behavioral Medicine Service and the Cancer Outcomes Research Program.
Clinical Interests:
- Cancer related fatigue
- Cancer survivorship
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Sleep Hygiene
- Stress management
Treats:
- Adult
Locations
Mass General Cancer Center: Psychiatric Oncology and Behavioral Sciences
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 877-726-5130
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna Health Inc.
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Blue Care 65
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Indemnity
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Managed Care
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Partners Plus
- BMC HealthNet Mass Health MCO/ACO
- Cigna Behavioral Health
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Great-West Healthcare (formally One Health Plan)
- Health Care Value Management (HCVM)
- Humana/Choice Care PPO
- MassHealth
- Medicare
- Medicare - ACD
- Medicare ACO - ACD
- Medicare ACO - PBO
- OSW - Maine
- OSW - New Hampshire
- OSW - Vermont
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- Unicare
- United Behavioral Health
- United Behavioral Health - MGH
- Well Sense Pediatrics
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Dr. Jacobs’s research interests emphasize coping with cancer diagnosis and treatment, and evidence-based interventions to improve physical and emotional outcomes and symptom management for patients with cancer, cancer survivors, and cancer caregivers. She is also interested in stress-related physiological processes (e.g., immunologic, neuroendocrine, inflammation, and gene expression). Dr. Jacobs has presented her research findings related to mood, stress, and biopsychosocial processes in cancer at national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Jacobs has over 40 published works, including peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She has been the principal investigator and co-investigator of funded grants from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for peer-reviewed journals such as JAMA Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Psycho-Oncology, Cancer, and Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Jacobs supervises and mentors trainees in the Behavioral Medicine Service and the Cancer Outcomes Research Program.
Publications
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Selected:
Jacobs JM, Ream ME, Pensak N, Nisotel LE, Fishbein JN, MacDonald JJ, Buzaglo J, Lennes IT, Safren SA, Pirl WF, Temel JS, Greer JA. Patient Experiences with Oral Chemotherapy: Adherence, Symptom, and Quality of Life. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. In Press.
*Greer JA, *Jacobs JM, El-Jawahri A, Nipp RD, Gallagher ER, Pirl WF, Park ER, Muzikansky A, Jacobsen JC, Jackson VA, Temel JS. Role of patient coping strategies in understanding the effects of early palliative care on quality of life and mood. J Clin Oncol. 2018 Jan;1(36):53-60. *contributed equally
Jacobs JM, Traeger L, Eusebio J, Simon NM, Sequist LV, Greer JA, Temel JS, Pirl WF. Depression, inflammation, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A pilot study. J Psychosomatic Res. 2017 Aug;99:28-33.
Jacobs JM, Shaffer KM, Nipp RD, Fishbein JN, MacDonald J, El-Jawahri A, Pirl WF, Jackson VA, Park ER, Temel JS, Greer JA. Distress is interdependent in patients and caregivers with newly diagnosed incurable cancers. Ann Behav Med. 2017 Aug;51(4):519-531.
Jacobs JM, Pensak NA, Sporn NJ, MacDonald JJ, Lennes IT, Safren SA, Pirl WF, Temel JS, Greer JA. Treatment satisfaction and adherence to oral chemotherapy in patients with cancer. J Oncol Pract. 2017 May;13(5)e474-e485.
*Antoni MH, *Jacobs JM, Bouchard LC, Lechner SC, Jutagir DR, Gudenkauf LM, Blomberg BB, Gluck S, Carver CS. Post-surgical depressive symptoms and long-term survival in non-metastatic breast cancer patients at 11-year follow-up. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2017 Jan-Feb;44:16-21. *contributed equally