When Jeff Rasmussen graduated from Platte County High School in 2009, he knew he wanted to join the Army. He was sure his whole senior year that this was going to be his next step in his journey through life, but he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do. One of his classes at PCHS helped him make a decision.
“My favorite class was Mr. Anderson’s psychology class, and that guided my decision to enlist as a human intelligence collector,” Jeff said.
Rasmussen
Now, Jeff is preparing for a new chapter. He was recently awarded a scholarship by the Veterans Administration to attend Harvard Medical School.
“I was elated!” Jeff said. “HMS affiliated hospitals are on the cutting edge of medical research, and the training that I will receive during the next four years will surely benefit me as a physician in the future.”
He had a year-long deployment in Iraq, where, for the majority of the time, he was stationed at a small outpost within the walls of the Baiji Oil Refinery.
“When I wasn’t on a mission/patrol with one of the infantry platoons, I was probably typing up reports,” Jeff said. “We often worked 16-18 hour days, and there wasn’t much to do outside of work and exercise.”
His interest in psychology had stayed with him since high school and after his service in the Army, his plan was to become a clinical psychologist for the VA. “I had witnessed many of my friends from the military grapple with deployment-related mental health issues, and I wanted to give back to the military community in this way,” Jeff said.
During his freshman studies as a psychology major, he became fascinated with neuroscience. This led to a broader interest in the fields of physiology and neurobiology, and he started conducting undergraduate research. His academic and research interests eventually pointed him towards medicine, with the intent to serve the veteran community.
He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience at Brown University.
Becoming a doctor will be the realization of many of his goals and dreams. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to study and work in different fields that I have been interested in, and those experiences have all pointed me towards medicine,” Jeff said.
Although there are no doctors in Jeff’s family, his mother, Sandy Nicholson, and father, Roy Rasmussen both have careers in healthcare.
“My family has always been supportive of my career decisions, which is something I am very grateful for, Jeff said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
After medical school and residency, Jeff will begin practicing medicine at a VA facility. The VA scholarship that he has secured requires this, but he had planned on working for the VA before obtaining the scholarship. He has always wanted to give back to the military community in this way, and he is grateful for the opportunity to do so.
His mom, Sandy, is proud of all her son’s achievements. “Jeff decides on a goal, routes his path to get there, and works very hard to achieve it,” Sandy said. “He puts in the considerable time and effort to prepare ahead of time and works diligently until he realizes each goal.”
Sandy thinks every parent believes their children can accomplish all of their dreams.
“I’ve been very blessed to have two such hard-working sons and we’re so proud of them,” she said. “Jeff’s brother is an engineer, and they both continue to work hard toward their individual successes. I remember when Jeff was little, when he ran across a problem, he would stand still and you could almost see the little wheels turning in his head as he figured things out. Jeff has always had a knack for standing back and looking at the big picture and figuring out how to get where he wants to go. We are so excited to watch Jeff’s new chapter unfold and are confident he’ll be able to make a difference in the lives of others who have served our country so well. We couldn’t be any more proud!”
One of the most valuable things Jeff gained from his military service was that it taught him to remain focused and disciplined in the face of stressful situations, which helped him greatly in academia, as well as other facets of his life.
“The Army changed my outlook on life at a young age, which I believe benefited me greatly,” Jeff said. I was given an enormous amount of responsibility during my deployment, and I had no other choice but to rise to the occasion. This experience taught me what I am capable of, and gave me the confidence to follow my dreams.
“Additionally, the service is meant to push you to your mental and physical limits. During deployments, you lean on your fellow service members for support, because they are all you have. I think that experiencing this ultimately improved my sense of empathy.”
As a senior in high school, Jeff remembers he had a lot of ambition, but not a lot of direction. Being unsure about what he wanted to study in college, he was determined that he didn’t want to waste tuition money trying to figure it all out.
His advice for PCHS 2022 graduates who find themselves in a similar situation is to consider serving in the military. “The military helped me grow as a person, and the post-9/11 GI Bill paid my way through undergraduate studies,” Jeff said. “You’ll end up starting freshman year a few years later, but you’ll be better prepared for it.”
Jeff currently conducts psychiatric research as a research assistant at the VA medical center in Providence, RI. He wants to continue his research efforts during medical school, and he said the opportunities to do so at Harvard Medical School are second to none. “I know that balancing my studies with extra research will be demanding, but I’m up for the challenge!”