Captain Edward Woodward

The seeds of Edward’s desire to serve his country were planted as a teenager in 1991 when the U.S. was involved in Operation Desert Storm. Six years later, while attending the University of Florida, he joined the Air Force ROTC. After earning a Bachelor of Science in nutritional science, he enlisted in the Air Force in 2001 and spent nearly eight years on active duty. He was deployed multiple times to the Middle East and earned an Air Medal and two Aerial Achievement Medals. He was training as an F-15 pilot and was just five flights short of graduating when a brain injury ended his military flying.

While his military career has ended, his desire to serve others has not. Inspired by the loss of an identical twin bother in a tragic car accident as well as his own medical history, Edward is pursuing his dream of becoming a neurologist specializing in brain health. The first step is to obtain his master’s degree in medicine in preparation for medical school.

He is driven by a history of neurological issues that have impacted his family, including his maternal grandmother, who was stricken with Alzheimer’s. Edward says medicine is the medium that will allow him to use his past experiences to help servicemen and women. He looks forward to the day when he can help others as a neurologist and when he can turn his past struggles into triumphs.