Ernst Jaffé Biography

Ernst Jaffé was a doctor and hematologist who worked on a type of hereditary anemia that impairs red blood cells from transporting oxygen. When diagnosed in children, it is called Blue Baby Syndrome, and leads to an oxygen deficiency in the bloodstream. Dr. Jaffé discovered the disorder was caused by the lack of an enzyme called cytochrome b5 reductase. In addition to his research, Dr. Jaffé served as acting dean of Yeshiva medical school from 1972 to 1974 and again from 1983 to 1984; served as chairman of the American Red Cross’s blood service committee in 1988; president of the American Society of Hematology in 1983; and editor and chief of Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology from 1975 to 1977.