Eric Emil Jacobson

Eric Emil Jacobson, Ph.D.

Lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine, Part-time, Harvard Medical School
Instructor in Global Health Delivery, Harvard Medical School
781-643-6874

Dr. Jacobson is a lecturer on social medicine. His initial research training was in medical anthropology, with a dissertation on psychiatric aspects of Tibetan medicine.

Address: 
10 Ramsdell Court
Arlington, MA 02476

Affiliations: 

  • Research Associate, Motion Analysis Laboratory
  • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Dr. Jacobson has been investigating Asian and other alternative therapies including work on studies of the placebo effect and diagnostic reasoning in acupuncture. Dr. Jacobson recently conducted a pilot clinical trial of an alternative manual therapy, structural integration, as a treatment for low-back pain.

  1. Jacobson EE, Meleger AL, Bonato P, Wayne PM, Langevin HM, Kaptchuk TJ, Davis RB. Structural integration as an adjunct to outpatient rehabilitation for chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized pilot clinical trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 2015:813418. PMID: 25945112.

  2. Citations: 4  Article has an altmetric score of 21   

  3. Bishop FL, Jacobson EE, Shaw J, Kaptchuk TJ. Participants' experiences of being debriefed to placebo allocation in a clinical trial. Qual Health Res. 2012 Aug; 22(8):1138-49. PMID: 22673094.

    Citations: 8   Fields: 

    Hea

       Translation:Humans

  4. Bishop FL, Jacobson EE, Shaw JR, Kaptchuk TJ. Scientific tools, fake treatments, or triggers for psychological healing: how clinical trial participants conceptualise placebos. Soc Sci Med. 2012 Mar; 74(5):767-74. PMID: 22285289.

    Citations: 19  Article has an altmetric score of 10   Fields: 

    HeaPsySoc

       Translation:Humans

  5. Jacobson E. Structural integration, an alternative method of manual therapy and sensorimotor education. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct; 17(10):891-9. PMID: 21992437.

    Citations: 7  Article has an altmetric score of 16   Fields: 

    Com

       Translation:Humans

  6. Jacobson E. Structural integration: origins and development. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Sep; 17(9):775-80. PMID: 21875349.

    Citations: 2  Article has an altmetric score of 48   Fields: 

    Com

       Translation:Humans

  7. Kerr CE, Shaw JR, Conboy LA, Kelley JM, Jacobson E, Kaptchuk TJ. Placebo acupuncture as a form of ritual touch healing: a neurophenomenological model. Conscious Cogn. 2011 Sep; 20(3):784-91. PMID: 21397519.

    Citations: 16  Article has an altmetric score of 2   Fields: 

    PsyPsy

       Translation:Humans

  8. Kaptchuk TJ, Shaw J, Kerr CE, Conboy LA, Kelley JM, Csordas TJ, Lembo AJ, Jacobson EE. "Maybe I made up the whole thing": placebos and patients' experiences in a randomized controlled trial. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2009 Sep; 33(3):382-411. PMID: 19597976.

    Citations: 52  Article has an altmetric score of 30   Fields: 

    AntPsySoc

       Translation:Humans

  9. Kelley JM, Lembo AJ, Ablon JS, Villanueva JJ, Conboy LA, Levy R, Marci CD, Kerr CE, Kirsch I, Jacobson EE, Riess H, Kaptchuk TJ. Patient and practitioner influences on the placebo effect in irritable bowel syndrome. Psychosom Med. 2009 Sep; 71(7):789-97. PMID: 19661195.

    Citations: 62  Article has an altmetric score of 8   Fields: 

    Psy

       Translation:Humans

  10. Lembo AJ, Conboy L, Kelley JM, Schnyer RS, McManus CA, Quilty MT, Kerr CE, Drossman D, Jacobson EE, Davis RB. A treatment trial of acupuncture in IBS patients. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jun; 104(6):1489-97. PMID: 19455132.

    Citations: 39  Article has an altmetric score of 17   Fields: 

    Gas

       Translation:Humans

  11. Passos MC, Lembo AJ, Conboy LA, Kaptchuk TJ, Kelly JM, Quilty MT, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, Hu R, Friedlander E, Drossman DA. Adequate relief in a treatment trial with IBS patients: a prospective assessment. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Apr; 104(4):912-9. PMID: 19293784.

    Citations: 14  Article has an altmetric score of 9   Fields: 

    Gas

       Translation:Humans

  12. Jacobson, E. Panic Attack in Tibetan refugees, In D Hinton and B Good (eds.) Culture and Panic Disorder. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. 2009.

  13. Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Conboy LA, Davis RB, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, Kirsch I, Schyner RN, Nam BH, Nguyen LT, Park M, Rivers AL, McManus C, Kokkotou E, Drossman DA, Goldman P, Lembo AJ. Components of placebo effect: randomised controlled trial in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. BMJ. 2008 May 03; 336(7651):999-1003. PMID: 18390493.

    Citations: 306  Article has an altmetric score of 295   Fields: 

    Med

       Translation:Humans

  14. Jacobson, E. Soundings in Tibetan Medicine: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives. Proceedings of the Tenth International Association for Tibetan Studies. M Schrempf (ed), C Ramble (series ed.). 'Life-wind illness' In Tibetan medicine: Depression, generalized anxiety and panic attack. 2007.

  15. Conboy LA, Wasserman RH, Jacobson EE, Davis RB, Legedza AT, Park M, Rivers AL, Morey EB, Nam BH, Lasagna L, Kirsch I, Lembo AJ, Kaptchuk TJ, Kerr CE. Investigating placebo effects in irritable bowel syndrome: a novel research design. Contemp Clin Trials. 2006 Apr; 27(2):123-34. PMID: 16427366.

    Citations: 11   Fields: 

    MedThe

       Translation:Humans

  16. Schnyer RN, Conboy LA, Jacobson E, McKnight P, Goddard T, Moscatelli F, Legedza AT, Kerr C, Kaptchuk TJ, Wayne PM. Development of a Chinese medicine assessment measure: an interdisciplinary approach using the delphi method. J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Dec; 11(6):1005-13. PMID: 16398591.

    Citations: 10  Article has an altmetric score of 3   Fields: 

    Com

       Translation:Humans

  17. Patel SM, Stason WB, Legedza A, Ock SM, Kaptchuk TJ, Conboy L, Canenguez K, Park JK, Kelly E, Jacobson E, Kerr CE, Lembo AJ. The placebo effect in irritable bowel syndrome trials: a meta-analysis. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2005 Jun; 17(3):332-40. PMID: 15916620.

    Citations: 79  Article has an altmetric score of 35   Fields: 

    GasNeu

       Translation:Humans

  18. Stone DA, Kerr CE, Jacobson E, Conboy LA, Kaptchuk TJ. Patient expectations in placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. J Eval Clin Pract. 2005 Feb; 11(1):77-84. PMID: 15660541.

    Citations: 24  Article has an altmetric score of 8   Fields: 

    Hea

       Translation:Humans

  19. Jacobson E. . Healing by Hand: Bonesetting and Manual Medicine in Global Perspective, KS Oths and ZH Servando (eds). "Getting Rolfed": Structural bodywork, biomechanics and embodiment. 2004.

  20. Jacobson E. Panic attack in a context of comorbid anxiety and depression in a Tibetan refugee. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2002 Jun; 26(2):259-79. PMID: 12211327.

    Citations: 2   Fields: 

    AntPsySoc

       Translation:Humans

  21. Greene PJ, Wayne PM, Kerr CE, Weiger WA, Jacobson E, Goldman P, Kaptchuk TJ. . The powerful placebo: doubting the doubters. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine. 2001; 4(17):298-307.

  22. Jacobson EE, Meleger AL, Bonato P, Wayne PM, Langevin HM, Kaptchuk TJ, Davis RB. Structural Integration as an adjunct to outpatient rehabilitation for chronic non-specific low back pain: a randomized pilot clinical trial. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015:ID 813418. View Publication.