Dr. Mike Jackson was born in Jacksonville, FL and raised as a “Navy Brat” across the United States. He moved over 20 times before graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA with a commission granted through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship program in 2005. He graduated from The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, ME under the Health Professions Scholarship Program in 2009 and was recommissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. After an internship in General Surgery at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, VA, Dr. Jackson completed Flight Surgeon Training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, FL. He was subsequently assigned to HMH-464, a CH-53E helicopter squadon, out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, with whom he later deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 11.2 to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During this operational time and deployment he realized his passion for Emergency Medicine rather than surgical specialties and he returned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth to complete his residency, graduating in 2016. He remained there as a member of the Faculty and immediately upon graduation he served as an Assistant Program Director in the Emergency Medicine Residency program, taking on the role of Operational Medicine Instructor for the program. Shortly thereafter he was deployed as the Assistant Officer in Charge for the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response AFRICOM 17.1 Role II in support of named operations on the continent. Upon his return, he served as the Fast Track Director, then the Senior Medical Officer, and finally, prior to separating from active duty Navy at the rank of Commander, he sat as the Department Chair of Emergency Medicine. He and his family moved to Eastern TN where he was the director of a community ED and transitioned to the Navy Reserve, before coming to work at VUMC. Dr. Jackson is married to his wife, Casey, and they have 3 incredible young boys who keep them very active! They enjoy spending time outside rain or shine, exploring, cooking, and when they get the chance, he and his wife enjoy nights out as “foodies” on their dates.