About
Psychiatrist, jurist, and researcher working at the intersection of health policy, law, and ethics. His interdisciplinary PhD examined capacity-based mental health legislation in Norway. He is a Joint Fellow-in-Residence at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, where his research examines clinical decision-making—particularly clinicians’ application of the law and priority setting in health care.
His academic experience includes competitive fellowships and international research experience, including as a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University and a Harkness Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He has also served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Oslo. He has published scientific articles, official reports, and book chapters, and he has substantial teaching and public speaking experience. He regularly gives lectures and seminars at leading academic institutions (including Harvard University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and King’s College London), governmental organisations (including the National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Directorate of Health), and national and international conferences such as the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting and the World Congress of Psychiatry. He also presents to professional associations and in hospital settings, and is passionate about making complex health and legal issues accessible to diverse audiences.
His work draws on experience across government, litigation, and clinical practice. In public service, Jacob led the Secretariat for Norway’s Expert Committee on Decision-Making Capacity and contributed to key policy recommendations for the mental health system. As a senior adviser at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, he provides authoritative interpretations of the Norwegian health legislation and represents the government in court proceedings. Clinically, he serves as a chief physician in adult mental health services at Oslo University Hospital.