Best Practices: Jacob Taylor
The NYC urology resident, aspiring GU oncologist, and social media influencer on using his platform to uplift evidence-based information online and his commitment to providing compassionate care.
Dr. Jacob Taylor believes in following the science to help patients reach better outcomes. As a soon-to-be training urologic oncologist, he’s passionate about using compassion to connect with patients while guiding them through some of the most vulnerable and uncertain moments in their lives.
Read on to learn how he got started in medicine, how he leverages his social media platform to promote evidence-based information, and why he’s excited about the future of cancer care delivery.
How did you get started in medicine and what inspired you to choose your specialty?
I grew up in a household of doctors: My dad is a naturopathic doctor and my mom is a trained rheumatologist who mainly focuses on pain management and psychotherapy work now. Medicine was at the forefront of my early years, as were their alternative and complementary viewpoints on things like nutrition. Growing up, I was accustomed to seeing things like spinach and protein shakes on the kitchen counter.
Subconsciously, this exposure to alternative viewpoints encouraged me to ultimately pursue a degree in public health before going to medical school. I wanted a strong foundation in scientific rigor, evidence-based medicine, and population health to help me evaluate alternative viewpoints of medicine and decipher whether the things my parents taught me were actually true, and if so, what the evidence behind them was.
After receiving my master's in public health, I continued my pursuit of becoming a physician in medical school, and I landed on urology as a specialty for a couple of reasons. First, I’m a very technically minded person. I’ve always enjoyed doing things with my hands and building things, like redoing the bathroom tiles in college and gardening. I am and have always been a hands-on person. Urology is a very surgical field, though many people don’t know it, so I was initially drawn to the specialty for that reason.
But I also discovered that I really value working with cancer patients and helping them through uniquely profound and vulnerable moments.
So, as I sought out different fields in cancer care, including colorectal cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, and ovarian surgery, I ultimately landed on urologic cancer. Initially, I fell in love with working with patients with kidney and prostate cancer. But over the last few years, I’ve become very interested in bladder and testicular cancer, too.
Additionally, I think it’s very important to be happy in your specialty. Urologists are some of the happiest, most charismatic people to be around. Once I combined disease pathology with surgery and doing what I thought I would enjoy, the people I met in the field finally sealed the deal. I knew I had found the best possible fit for my interests, skills, and personality.
You have an active social media presence. What are the advantages and pitfalls of being a physician in these online spaces?
It’s clear that social media is reshaping the way in which health care practitioners share information as well as how patients seek out information.
Today, close to three-quarters of US adults interact with social media in some way, whether through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or another platform. Through this activity, many of us are frequently exposed to different types of information. Ten years ago, if a patient wanted to look up medical concerns or questions online, they’d likely go to WebMD or another similar source. Now, I think a lot more people are seeking answers on social platforms instead.
Unsurprisingly, there’s also a high degree of misinformation on just about every condition on social media. We saw this play out during the pandemic on a large scale and witnessed how it can have a negative impact on public health. There are also privacy concerns and legality issues when it comes to offering medical advice without actually treating patients. As a result, being a physician figure in these spaces involves a lot of nuance and due diligence.
Still, I believe that there is an enormous opportunity for social media to bridge the gap and lead patients to better resources and accurate information. Especially since we’re starting to see patients follow physicians, cancer networks, and cancer advocacy societies that can help lead them to trusted information. Current data shows that patients want easier access to reliable information, they just need guidance on which sources to trust.
What I’m trying to do is help facilitate access to trusted information sources so that we can all continue to use social media in a positive way.
What is your approach to patient care?
Ultimately, I’m open to any treatment that a patient wants as long as it’s evidence-based and helpful to them. I’m all for pushing the boundaries from a medical or surgical perspective as long as there’s a good scientific basis and it helps improve outcomes.
When it comes to patient relationships, I like to follow the golden rule: Treat others how you want to be treated. I believe in giving compassion to patients and that saying something as simple as “I understand” or “I hear what you’re going through” can go a long way when it comes to fostering trust and mutual respect.
No matter how long my day has been or what else is going on, it’s important for me to acknowledge the difficult time that patients often go through, to be there to listen to their concerns, and to always lead with compassion. When I’m sitting in the room with them or having a virtual visit, I always try to be a real person they can connect with rather than an overarching doctor whose primary concern is being the one in control.
What are some of the biggest myths in urology and urologic health that you’d like to dispel?
One of the biggest myths is that urology is a field for old men. While that’s true in some respect, the reality is that urology patients, in general, reflect a much more diverse spectrum.
People in their twenties, thirties, and forties get kidney stones. There’s also a whole field of urology that’s devoted to female and pelvic medicine, specializing in conditions like female pelvic disorders, incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.
What’s more, there are roughly 20,000 cases of bladder cancer in women each year. And as a soon-to-be training urologic oncologist, I expect my patient demographic to be an even split between men and women.
Which recent advancements do you believe are most exciting when it comes to pushing the boundaries of cancer care delivery?
The hot topic these days is precision medicine. With the advent over the past twenty years of genetics, molecular medicine, and immuno-oncology, there’s an exciting opportunity to harness big data for the good of patient care. The key is building an ecosystem where medical professionals, new technology, and big data can collaborate effectively to find the right treatment strategies.
There’s so much information that we’re gaining from genetics and DNA sequencing of cancers that the next frontier is identifying cancer patients’ specific genetic makeup and how it will play a role in a specific environment. It’s all about harnessing this new information while managing the transfer of data and medical information at a rapid pace that I believe is going to really change cancer care for the better.
Vital Signs
How do you de-stress? With movement. Yoga in particular has helped me as a surgeon to find and connect with my breath. My wife is a trained yoga instructor, so I definitely benefited from her at-home instruction during the pandemic.
What aspect of “pre-pandemic” life are you most looking forward to returning to? Traveling. Greece is on the top of our bucket list.
Favorite TV show, book, or podcast of late? My wife and I just found out that we’re expecting, so I’m currently reading a lot of baby books.
What’s one healthful habit you’d love to see patients adopt? Nutrition and eating healthy. The data is pretty convincing that the standard American diet contributes significantly to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. I’d love for patients to realize that eating healthfully is not as difficult as they might expect and that even the smallest of changes can make a big impact on improving their overall health and quality of life.
You can learn more about Dr. Jacob Taylor here.
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