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Video by Sara Barger

DOD’s Top Medical Leader Sets Priorities for Military Health System

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs/Military Health System

March 18, 2025 | 9:28

In his first exclusive interview, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Stephen Ferrara talks about how the Military Health System supports the Department of Defense in achieving its mission by being a “Force Multiplier for the Warfighter.” Dr. Ferrara is a retired U.S. Navy doctor who continued to practice medicine after 25 years on active duty until being appointed into his current role on Jan. 20, 2025. Prior to his present position, he served as the deputy director for clinical operations for the National Capital Region, the Department of Defense’s largest health care network. He also served as an interventional radiologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and a clinical professor of radiology and radiological sciences at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

“We improve and increase the lethality of the warfighter, and we do that through a number of ways. If you look at what our primary mission is—supporting the warfighter in combat—it is very empowering. It is a sacred pact we have with the warfighter that when they go into harm's way, should they become ill or injured, they can have the confidence of knowing they are going to get world-class health care immediately on the battlefield and have the best opportunity to return home healthy,” he said.