Nov. 9, 2017 — Edward Jaffe, M.D. ’87, H.S. ’93, breaks into a wide smile as he recalls a time in his life when he woke up every morning at 4 a.m. to run five miles carrying a 50-pound pack on his back. This was a time when he climbed mountains and parachuted from airplanes.

While serving as a medic in the U.S. Army Special Forces, Jaffe discovered both his inner strength and a lifelong passion for medicine. Now an orthopedic surgeon at The Orthopaedic Institute in Gainesville, Jaffe says his time in the military taught him the discipline necessary to achieve his goal of becoming a physician.

“The military training was very rigorous. After a while, I realized that it was both a physical and mental exercise,” he says. “That same mental discipline helped me when it came to my medical school studies and the rigors of residency.”

After Jaffe graduated from Dartmouth College in 1975, where he studied English and philosophy, he took a series of odd jobs and traveled to Europe and Asia. When he returned to the states in 1977, he decided to visit a U.S. Army recruiting station. Jaffe signed on to train as a medic in the Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets.

“That decision affected the rest of my life,” Jaffe says.

After nearly two years of training, Jaffe was deployed as part of an A-team to bases in Colorado, New England and the Italian Alps, where his interest in medicine continued to grow.

“If I hadn’t joined the Army, I wouldn’t have been exposed to medicine,” he says. “I’m so grateful for the help the Army gave me in making that life decision and for supplying me with the determination to succeed.”

Jaffe’s passion for medicine was solidified when he began his training at the UF College of Medicine. Though his schedule was jam-packed, he recalls his spirits remained high with help from former longtime dean for student and alumni affairs Hugh M. “Smiley” Hill, M.D.

“I still remember something he used to say: ‘Experience is a mighty fine teacher, but the tuition is awful high.’” Jaffe says. “His fantastic sense of humor would break up the rigor of medical school. He had a very distinctive laugh you could hear from quite a distance.”

Today, Jaffe uses both the discipline gleaned from the military and the good humor Hill imparted at his practice at The Orthopaedic Institute, where he has worked since 1993. He specializes in adult joint reconstruction, replacing hips, knees and shoulders, as well as sports medicine.

“I’m passionate about having the ability to help people and to get them to a more functional level,” he says.

Jaffe credits his military training for starting him along the path that ultimately led him to the satisfying career he enjoys today.

“To be able to get to a position where you can genuinely help others is worth all the struggles,” he says.