Meet Jacob Bermudez, MD PhD.

As a little boy in Chicago, Jacob would walk through his father’s orthopedic practice on his way home each day. He’d say hello to patients in the waiting room, pass through familiar hallways, sometimes linger to watch his father work — and then head upstairs to the family’s home above the office. Medicine wasn’t a concept to him. It was community. It was conversations. It was watching his father care for people he knew by name.

Some of his fondest memories are from the darkroom. Jacob would assist his father as he developed X-rays, watching images slowly appear on film. Long before he understood the science behind it, he understood that those images meant answers — and that answers mattered.

Jacob went on to pursue mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois earning a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in biomedical and tissue engineering. He later pursued PhD studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  That training led him into clinical engineering with a German medical technology company, where he worked alongside surgeons implementing advanced neurosurgical systems.

He lived in Southern California, worked at the forefront of medical technology, and built a career solving complex technical challenges. But over time, something felt unsettled. He describes it as a “come to Jesus moment.” Surrounded by cutting-edge equipment, he realized he was ultimately “there to sell machines.” Growing up in his father’s practice had shown him what direct patient care looked like — and he felt called toward something more personal and more impactful.

Jacob applied to medical school and earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. During training, he explored several specialties, including neurosurgery, which aligned naturally with his engineering background and experience on the product side of medicine. But mentors encouraged him to think not only about technical fit, but about family and long-term impact.

A radiology rotation brought clarity.

Dr. Bermudez was drawn to the precision of the field.  He completed his Diagnostic Radiology Residency at AdventHealth in Orlando in July 2024. During residency, he initially focused on interventional radiology, engaging in research and publications. Then, in his second year, he completed a breast imaging rotation that reshaped his direction.

Breast imaging offered something distinct: patient contact combined with high stakes and immediate impact. Dr. Bermudez often describes the specialty in terms of “lives saved per hour.” For him, it represented the most meaningful way he could use his time.

He went on to complete a Breast Imaging Fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago in July 2025, training at one of the nation’s leading academic programs. He speaks with gratitude about the mentors who shaped him along the way — physicians who modeled excellence in practice while also demonstrating how to navigate a demanding career alongside family life.

Today, Dr. Bermudez is passionate about advancing women’s imaging, including functional imaging techniques such as breast MRI and contrast-enhanced mammography. He is deeply committed to educating women about their breast imaging options and empowering them with clear and accurate information.

In 2024, during his third year of residency, Dr. Bermudez signed with Vista Radiology. His decision was rooted in conviction. Having observed hospital-owned models during training and the growing influence of private equity in healthcare, he was clear about the kind of environment he wanted to join. Dr. Bermudez chose Vista because of its longstanding reputation for clinical excellence and its unwavering focus on patient-centered care.

In his spare time, Dr. Bermudez enjoys mountain biking and hiking in the East Tennessee mountains, as well as off-roading in his Jeep. He and his wife, Kristine — a PhD Bio-Statistician whom he met in medical school — are raising their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Avery.