MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Lt. Cmdr. Corey Housepian, from Costa Mesa, California, serves with U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (USNMRTC) Sigonella, Italy.
A graduate of Newport Harbor High School, Housepian earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010.
Housepian came from a family with military ties.
“My family absolutely was the motivation for my service as I had countless examples of inspiring veterans who answered the call to service on both sides,” Housepian said. “My grandfathers both served throughout World War II, one in the Navy and one in the Army; my father served in the Army in the Vietnam War and numerous cousins completed full military careers from the Korean War onwards.”
Lessons from Costa Mesa continue to shape Housepian’s service.
“Some of the most important values I learned growing up that prepared me well for naval service include perseverance, compassion, dedication and problem-solving,” Housepian said. “Most of these values I learned at home and had reinforced at school, but the values of perseverance, dedication and problem-solving were truly strengthened and tested most intensely through my participation in sports, especially crew and taekwondo.”
Being involved in sports taught Housepian about overcoming limits.
“Rowing is a sport that pushes you physically and mentally to the limits every day, so learning to push that limit to the right and grow in mind and body was quite fruitful in retrospect,” Housepian said. “I eventually learned that most of my limits were self-imposed and that if there was something that I truly desired, hard work, creative problem-solving and persistence would almost always pay off dividends. This mindset has absolutely served me well during my naval service thus far.”
Housepian has served in the Navy for 12 years.
“I realized long ago, growing up in our free country with limitless opportunities laid out before our feet, that we American citizens are born into something truly unique and precious in this world,” Housepian said. “I felt called to do my small part to help ensure that gift I was fortunate enough to simply inherit at birth would be defended and maintained in perpetuity.”
Housepian said choosing the Navy was the natural decision, citing a fondness for the beach.
“As a medical provider, the combination of mission sets — healing our service members, serving around the world, providing medical services to those in need, and responding to natural disasters — really resonated with me and seemed to offer me an experience that would certainly be impossible in any other practice setting,” Housepian said.
Today, Housepian serves in the Navy Medical Service Corps as a podiatric surgeon.
“My scope of practice involves treating any pathology in the foot and ankle, including performing surgery when needed,” Housepian said. “Every sailor, Marine, soldier and airman must maintain a strong physical foundation. When any podiatric pathology threatens to compromise their readiness or duties, podiatrists come into the picture.”
Housepian is the only Navy podiatrist serving in the U.S. European, Central and Africa command area of operations. Navy podiatry patients in those areas are referred to Housepian for care when needed, the lieutenant commander said.
“For those patients off island (not in Sicily), I can still provide specialty services through the implementation of a video platform to render virtual health care,” Housepian said. “Virtual health is a growing area within Navy and Military Medicine, and it allows increased specialty care services offered to patients who may be severely limited in their access to U.S. medical care due to their more remote duty station. I am currently working on setting up a rotating podiatry service to periodically visit other local Navy hospitals in order to bring in-person specialty care to those facilities as well.”
According to Navy officials, NMRTC’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality health care services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research.
USNMRTC Sigonella / Naval Hospital Sigonella is a community hospital located in the heart of the Mediterranean in Sicily, Italy. Comprised of a local satellite clinic and two branch health clinics located in Bahrain and Souda Bay, USNMRTC Sigonella’s staff of 387 serves approximately 8,500 active duty, family members, NATO members, retirees and other beneficiaries based on international collaborations and status of forces agreements.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence.
According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Housepian has seen Navy Medicine make a difference through his career.
“I see Navy Medicine making a difference every day in the lives of my patients and fellow service members,” Housepian said. “I distinctly recall a momentous event that showcased the capability of Navy Medicine when the USNS Mercy was deployed from San Diego in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. San Diego-based naval medical staff were rapidly deployed on the Mercy to answer the call for increased medical support to the local civilian population due to overwhelming strains on local hospitals.”
The role of those who remained at Naval Medical Center San Diego, like Housepian, was to ensure medical services continued without interruption at the hospital during the large-scale realigning of manpower to the ship, Housepian said.
“Seeing the capacity of Navy Medicine rapidly reallocating resources to keep the hospital functional while deploying a hospital ship and its assets to assist in the pandemic response was impressive, to say the least,” Housepian said. “It was no easy task at all, and those involved demanded perseverance and teamwork on all fronts. Navy Medicine’s mission was met even during the most austere pandemic setting in over 100 years, which is a testament to the organization and its continuation for excellence.”
Housepian said Navy Medicine’s unique capabilities set it apart from civilian health care.
“The three things that make Navy Medicine different from civilian health care: the team working beside you, the patients you treat and the missions you serve,” Housepian said. “The team delivering patient care is very unique in the sense that there is constant turnover of the active-duty personnel/staff. Therefore, everyone has to be prepared to provide the highest quality of medical care from any location and under any circumstance, with any Navy Medicine staff member that may end up at your side. Naturally, the patients we primarily treat consist of active duty, dependents and retirees, which sets apart the patient demographic strikingly from the private sector. Lastly, the flexibility to operate under diverse and sometimes austere environments and bring medical capabilities to any location in the world makes Navy Medicine inherently quite different from typical civilian health care.”
Housepian has had many memorable experiences during his service.
“I have enjoyed serving at two overseas locations during my time in the Navy,” Housepian said. “I served in Yokosuka, Japan, from 2021 to 2024, where my wife and I had our first son. We are currently serving in Sigonella, Sicily, Italy, and we welcomed our second son while living there. Getting to fully immerse in foreign cultures for years at a time is truly a unique and wonderful experience, and I feel it has offered me a new perspective of the world and America’s impact on it. There’s no way I could’ve practiced podiatry while seeing so much of the world like I have if I did not join the military.”
Housepian has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment thus far in my Navy career has been my promotion to the rank of lieutenant commander, following my first duty station upon being recognized for the numerous leadership roles I undertook and the quality of the work I performed,” Housepian said.
Housepian serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I would encourage those interested in pursuing a career in Navy Medicine to truly have a passion for the mission you plan to serve,” Housepian added. “The Navy experience is what you make of it and largely depends on what you bring to the table. The medical field, especially in the Navy, will provide ample opportunity for personal and professional growth that is yours to capitalize on if you are motivated. Above all, I would only recommend joining if service to your country is something you are genuinely called to.”
More information is available here: https://www.navy.mil/navy-250/.