Editor’s Preface
by Seema Reza | September 28th, 2025
This month, we’re excited to share something a little different. Dr. Adam Saperstein received a standing ovation at our annual Day of Belonging for his heartfelt talk about how the power of music, art, and creativity to bring us back to ourselves and can truly save lives. We want you to see it too.
Please note, the views expressed here are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government or the Department of the Navy.
Dr. Adam K. Saperstein
CAPT Saperstein grew up in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, and Spain. Although not part of a military family when a child, the frequent moves seemed to suit him, and contributed to his joining the Navy as a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in 1992.
Following graduation from USNA, Dr. Saperstein attended Tulane University Medical School and thereafter completed his residency at the Puget Sound Family Medicine Residency at Naval Hospital Bremerton. His first staff tour was at Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan from 2003-2006 where he served as the Program Director for the Japanese National Physician Internship Program. From 2006-2009, Dr. Saperstein served as faculty at the Family Medicine Residency at Naval Hospital Jacksonville, FL. During that tour, he was the Medical Student Site Director, completed a Faculty Development Fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill, and deployed to Expeditionary Medical Facility, Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
CAPT Saperstein was thereafter stationed at Naval Hospital Sigonella, Italy from 2009-2012 where he served as Department Head for the Navy’s first interdisciplinary Medical Home and as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education. In 2011, he was selected to join the faculty of the Uniformed Services University (USU), where he was stationed from 2012-2017. In this role, he served as the Director of Reflective Practice, a curriculum for >650 learners each year, designed to improve self-awareness of one’s assumptions and biases and how they can impact patient care. Dr. Saperstein spearheaded the establishment of the USU chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and served as faculty advisor. He also established the Wounded Warrior Partnership, helping students to learn to care for those in harm’s way by learning from those who have been in harm’s way. During his tenure, he was awarded the 2016 William P. Clements Award for Excellence in Medical Education. His research and curricular efforts while at USU focused on medical student education and the medical humanities.
CAPT Saperstein was selected to serve as the Senior Medical Officer for Branch Health Clinic Iwakuni from 2017-2019, where he and his team opened the Navy’s first birthing center. During his tenure, he established host nation partnerships to better meet the needs of the 13,000 individuals who lived and worked at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, including regular host nation academic exchanges with the Iwakuni Clinical Center.
In 2019, CAPT Saperstein reported to Naval Medical Readiness Training Command Annapolis as the United States Naval Academy’s Admissions Medical Officer from 2019-2020 and thereafter as the Brigade Medical Officer (BMO) from 2020-2023. As the BMO, Dr. Saperstein served as Medical Advisor to the USNA Superintendent and Commandant of Midshipmen.
During his tenure as the BMO, he was responsible for development and oversight of USNA’s COVID mitigation strategies, leading a medical team that implemented protocols allowing for resumption of in-person training in June 2020 and ongoing on-time commissioning of >1100 officers per year during the pandemic. Additionally, he partnered with USU’s Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR) program to design and implement the first universal EKG screening at a military command since 2002. This work was the impetus for the inclusion of mandatory EKG screening at all DoD Service Academies in the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and inclusion of EKG screening for new military recruits in the FY2024 NDAA. His work at USNA resulted in his being selected as the recipient of the Class of 1958 Admiral Charles R. Larson Ethical Leadership Excellence Award in 2022, the first medical professional, and only unanimous selection in the history of the award.
Dr. Saperstein returned to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2023 as the Vice Chair for Medical Education in the Department of Family Medicine. His other roles include serving as a member of the Academic Success and Interprofessional Education Committees and as faculty advisor for the USU chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, the Apollo Society, and as an Academic Coach. Nationally, he serves on the STFM Professionalism Task Force and the Gold Humanism Honor Society Advisory Council. His teaching and research efforts are focused on incorporation of the humanities into healthcare education, interprofessional education, and professionalism remediation.
Dr. Saperstein and his wife Lucia have two children, Noah (22) and Camille (19). His interests include hitting the pitch for a game of fútbol, travel, live theater, and reading fiction.
Artwork (As seen on homepage card for this post): Untitled, Unknown Artist at A Day of Belonging, 2025. Combat Paper, 10″x8″.
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