MARCH 13, 2025 — Senior Department of Defense (DoD) officials engaged directly with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center staff during a Senior Leaders Forum on March 7, addressing concerns ranging from military medical readiness to workforce reductions and efficiency improvements.
Darin Selnick, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and Dr. Stephen Ferrara, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, fielded questions and reinforced Walter Reed’s critical role in military healthcare.
Mr. Selnick said it’s important for leaders to conduct site visits and listen to feedback from staff. “Health care equals military readiness,” he said.
Walter Reed’s leadership, including Director U.S. Navy Capt. Melissa C. Austin, underscored the institution’s role as the military health system’s premier medical center.
“Rebuilding that sense of ‘We are the President’s Hospital, the flagship of the Military Health System, and where we lead, everyone else follows’ takes time,” Austin said.
She emphasized that while facility challenges exist, Walter Reed also tackles broader concerns to enhance patient care and workplace morale. “Given the appropriate latitude at my level to perform—top-down and bottom-up—we have the opportunity to make this a much more efficient place that will make staff excited to come to work,” she said.
U.S. Navy Capt. Juan Rosario, Walter Reed’s chief of staff, provided a personal testament to the hospital’s lifesaving care.
“In 2018, my family came here after we were stationed in Italy. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer,” Rosario shared. “The Walter Reed we’re excited to get behind now saved her life.”
He pushed back against the notion that private-sector healthcare is always superior. “The family we have here at Walter Reed and the care that you receive here [show] our commitment,” he said. “We are committed to making sure that the same care my daughter received is the care that every soldier, every Marine, every sailor, and every airman receives every day.”
Ferrara, a former Walter Reed clinician and interventional radiologist, reinforced the need for cohesive medical teams to maintain operational effectiveness.
“The health care [system] is an ecosystem, and all things work as a unit,” Ferrara explained. “For a surgeon to wield the scalpel, you need a logistician to buy the scalpel, the patient admin person to check that patient in and generate a wristband. You need a biomed tech to make sure that the instruments are sterile. You need environmental services making sure that the hospital is clean and that infection control measures are met.”
Selnick stressed that patient confidence determines an institution’s success.
“Patients will vote with their feet,” he said. “If you are quality, people will come from long distances and wait [to receive your care]. People will flee if there are long wait times and poor care. It’s the whole environment [of care].”
Ferrara emphasized that high-quality healthcare supports military readiness—ensuring service members can focus on their missions without concerns about their families’ well-being.
“As we go forward, we want to make sure you have the resources to do what you need to do,” Selnick assured Walter Reed staff.
The town hall forum reaffirmed Walter Reed’s commitment to delivering world-class care while navigating institutional challenges, maintaining mission readiness, and upholding its legacy as the President’s Hospital since 1942.
Story by Hector Corrales and Bernard Little
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center