UF College of Medicine veterans reflect on their service, studies and careers
In recognition of Veterans Day Nov. 11, community members share their experiences
Nov. 1, 2023 — Each Nov. 11, the University of Florida College of Medicine community joins Americans across the nation to celebrate and honor the millions of veterans who have served in one of the six branches of the United States military: the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force.
This year, Dr. Gator spoke with students, staff and residents about their service, their accomplishments and their hopes for the future. Hear from veterans John Keefe, EyvonneDora Drew and Zane Thompson, M.D., below.
John Keefe, U.S. Air Force pararescueman
First-year medical student John Keefe, right, and his mother, alumna Lynn Keefe, M.D. ’88, left.
First-year medical student John Keefe was no stranger to the Gators before joining the UF College of Medicine in 2023. His mother, alumna Lynn Keefe, M.D. ’88, is a celebrated pediatrician in Niceville, Florida. However, his desire to study medicine and join The Gator Nation was solidified during eight years of service with the U.S. Air Force as a pararescueman.
“I was able to learn a lot through my medical training as a pararescueman and work with many health care providers, both outside and inside the military,” Keefe said. “I thought I wanted to be a doctor during my undergrad years, but it was my time in the military that really cemented that decision and gave me real conviction that this is the path for me.”
Keefe served from 2015 to 2023 with the primary responsibilities of special operations medic and technical rescue specialist. Between diving, static line and freefall parachuting and mountaineering, his work was as varied as his stations, including a deployment to Iraq, responding to the 2020 humanitarian crisis in Honduras in the wake of hurricanes Eta and Iota, and training in many European and South American countries.
During his time in the Air Force, Keefe received a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor and a Humanitarian Service Medal. Prior to joining, he studied psychology and played football as a pre-med undergraduate student at Columbia University in New York.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I got to campus after eight years since receiving my bachelor’s degree, but I’m thoroughly enjoying my time at the UF College of Medicine,” Keefe said. “I can’t imagine a better group of people to call my classmates; I’m continually impressed the more I learn about each of them. The school is great too! I particularly enjoy the hands-on work we get to do in the Dr. Angelo and Alberta Anaclerio Learning and Assessment Center, where we get to put our training to the test on standardized patients.”
EyvonneDora Drew, U.S. Army National Guard 68G patient administration specialist
EyvonneDora Drew, clinical service representative manager
EyvonneDora Drew has served the Gator community at the UF Student Health Care Center for almost six years. Five were spent as an administrative assistant in the Health Compliance Office, and for the past year, she has worked as a clinical service representative manager, drawing on her military occupational specialty, or MOS, experience as a patient administrative specialist with the U.S. Army National Guard.
Drew was born in New York and grew up in St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands. After becoming a mother when she was 17 years old, Drew said she joined the military for a brighter future for herself and her child. Her eight years of military service included duty with the Virgin Islands Medical Detachment Unit, Army training in South Korea and even assisting with an autopsy in San Antonio.
“My MOS as a patient administrative specialist definitely made me realize that I loved all the inner workings of a health care system and really enjoyed the patient care,” she said. “The military helped guide me to this place I am now. I learned so much from my service — determination, resilience, patience.”
While Drew grows into her new clinical service representative manager role at UF, she said she is also working to finish her health science degree.
“The military helped me with my educational goals, and I want to finish what I started,” she said. “I feel blessed to be alive and to have served.”
Zane Thompson, M.D., U.S. Navy O-4 lieutenant commander
Zane Thompson, M.D., a third-year resident
Third-year physical medicine & rehabilitation resident Zane Thompson, M.D., grew up in a military family stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, through his father’s job as a U.S. Navy pilot. After attending the University of South Florida as an undergraduate, Thompson studied medicine at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and joined the Navy immediately after graduating in 2016.
“My dad being a Navy pilot was a huge motivating factor for me joining,” Thompson said. “His flight surgeon on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier in the early 1980s was my mentor. In the Navy, I was able to see the sacrifices our service members make daily. I learned the value of leadership, mentorship, service and sacrifice. While it is a common quote, I learned firsthand that actions do speak louder than words.”
Thompson completed his intern year of medical residency in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center San Diego from 2016 to 2017. He then went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, to become a Naval flight surgeon and served with multiple squadrons until 2022 in New Orleans; Whidbey Island, Washington; and Misawa, Japan. Thompson earned three service awards during his years as a flight surgeon, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal in 2020 and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal in 2022.
He now continues to serve as a U.S. Navy Reserve flight surgeon while completing his residency training in physical medicine & rehabilitation, or PM&R, at UF. He first discovered the specialty in medical school when his brother was treated by a psychiatrist — a doctor who has trained in PM&R.
“The more I researched the specialty, the more it coincided with what I want to accomplish in my future practice,” Thompson said. “I love the idea of improving a patient’s function and quality of life. Working with the UF PM&R faculty members has been a fantastic learning experience thus far. I look forward to continuing to learn to become a well-rounded psychiatrist.”
