Jeremie Axe has
built a successful career in medicine, with a long list of accomplishments,
from board certification in orthopedic surgery, to fellowships at the American
Sports Medical Institute and at Harvard and a national award for one of his
many published research papers.
But when asked to
describe himself to a group of UD students, one of the first things he says is:
“I’m a Blue Hen, through and through.”
Axe, who graduated
in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree, with honors and distinction, in biological
sciences, has received the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Young Alumni Achievement
Award in recognition of his professional accomplishments and public service.
His initial decision
to attend the University was based on his sense that a high-quality and
affordable undergraduate education was “too good an opportunity to pass up” in
preparation for the demands and expense of medical school, he said. And today,
he takes every chance he has to convey his appreciation of his UD experience.
“I know you have
been prepared and you have been challenged here at Delaware,” Axe told
graduating biological sciences students when he was guest speaker at their 2018
Convocation. “Being prepared and having been challenged got me through the
tough times in medical school and residency.”
He praised the
University’s flexibility, which enabled him to spend a full undergraduate year
at Harvard, where he conducted research for his bachelor’s degree thesis, and
the base of knowledge he obtained in his UD classes and labs.
“I truly believe
that the University of Delaware gave me the tools to be here” as a successful
orthopedic surgeon, he told the students. “I had wonderful mentors and driven
colleagues.”
Axe went on to
graduate from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 2008 and then
completed his internship in general surgery and residency in orthopedics at
Tufts Medical Center. He further honed his skills through a fellowship at the
American Sports Medical Institute-Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, and then at
the Harvard Shoulder/Elbow Service in Boston.
Returning to
Delaware in 2015, he joined First State Orthopedics, where he is a partner in
the practice, which includes 29 physicians covering 15 specialty areas of
medicine in 13 locations. Axe is also an orthopedic trauma surgeon with
Christiana Care Health System and orthopedic director of Encompass Health
Delaware, a rehabilitation hospital in Middletown, Delaware.
With the expertise
in shoulder surgery he developed during his Harvard fellowship, Axe is called
on throughout the state of Delaware for cases requiring specialized care.
“That is what I feel
is most rewarding and the most important part of my training,” he said. “Having
that expertise is where I can really make a difference in my contributions to
the Delaware community.”
Axe contributes to
the community in other ways as well. While working in Boston, he was the head
football and basketball team physician for a high school established to give
underrepresented students the opportunity to succeed; that work earned him the
school’s Giving Back Award. In Delaware, he has received a state Senate
commendation for his work with the Steroid Task Force and has provided coverage
for high school and college sports teams.
He writes frequently
for peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and medical book chapters. But
despite his ongoing interest in research, he said he learned early on that he
didn’t want that to be his focus.
“I learned a
valuable lesson” while conducting undergraduate research at Harvard, he said,
where he ruled out the possibility of combining his M.D. degree with a Ph.D.
“Spending that year in the lab showed me that I wanted to do research, but I
wanted to do it as a practicing clinician.”
And throughout his
entire career, Axe has remained especially involved with his alma mater,
beginning during his time in Boston, when he interviewed potential UD students
in the area. Since returning to Delaware, he has been an affiliate assistant
professor of physical therapy at UD and guest speaker in classes and at the
Medical Scholars Club.
He is currently a
member of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council, arranging
his surgery schedule to allow him to attend meetings, and he makes it a point
to hire UD alumni when possible. He said he tries to talk about UD wherever he
goes and often wears a Blue Hen tie or other apparel in public appearances.
Axe is proud of his
entire family’s connection to the University, he said, noting that his uncle,
stepfather, brother, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law are all alumni,
while his father and stepmother are on the Department of Physical Therapy faculty.
Axe encourages students to begin donating to UD early, and his family has
generously supported such programs as the Jeremie Axe Undergraduate Summer
Research Fund, the Biomedical Engineering program and Duncan Bone Research
Fund, as well as UD Athletics and the Baseball and Physical Therapy programs.
His convocation
speech concluded with some specific advice for the new graduates: Work hard.
Hire UD graduates to work with you. Stay in touch with your college friends.
And, of course: “Be proud of your degree from UD.”
Article by Ann
Manser
Published June 1, 2021
