Forged at Sea, Born in Philadelphia: The History and Horizons of Navy Medicine (The 2026 Bernard Behrend Lecture)

Please join us for the 2026 Bernard Behrend Lecture, Forged at Sea, Born in Philadelphia: The History and Horizons of Navy Medicine, delivered by Captain Brian L. Feldman, MD, MPH, Deputy Chief, U.S. Navy Medical Corps.

 

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
19 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

 

In his upcoming brief, "Forged at Sea, Born in Philadelphia: The History and Horizons of Navy Medicine," Captain Brian Feldman, Deputy Chief, U.S. Navy Medical Corps, will explore Philadelphia's foundational role in naval healthcare —from the 1775 arrival of the Navy's first physicians aboard the Alfred to the city's legacy of pioneering medical schools and major wartime rehabilitative hospitals. Drawing upon these historic achievements, he will then chart the course forward, highlighting how these centuries of innovation continue to shape and define the future horizons of Navy Medicine. 

 

Event Timeline

5:30 PM: Doors Open
6:00 PM–6:20 PM: Event Begins / Light Reception
6:20 PM–7:00 PM: Program
7:00 PM–7:30 PM: Reception Resumes
7:30 PM: Event Concludes

 

This event is funded by The Bernard Behrend Endowed Lecture Fund.

 

About Captain Brian L. Feldman, MD, MPH

Captain Brian L. Feldman, MD, MPH is currently the Deputy Chief of the Navy Medical Corps at the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Falls Church, Virginia, where he is a senior physician advisor to the US Navy Surgeon General on all aspects of workforce modeling and distribution, policy, clinical practice, career planning and development, recruiting, retention and talent management of all 4,300 Navy Physicians from medical school through retirement. In his role, he collaborates on physician practice policy in coordination with Navy, Department of Defense, and interagency partners. He leads establishment of all graduate medical education training requirements, faculty requirements, force design, development and sustainment. He is lead for senior leader development, training, selection and assignment for senior leadership and command positions, world-wide. Captain Feldman served as a global public health leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, has managed numerous public health crises, and provided expert testimony to Congress in support of Department of Defense Collaboration with the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on monitoring, effects, treatment and prevention of toxic exposure to airborne toxins and burn pits on military personnel and veterans. 
 
Captain Feldman was born at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, the son of a Naval Flight Officer. A graduate of Duke University with a dual degree in biomedical and electrical and computer engineering in 1997, he was accepted to the Health Professions Scholarship Program and graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk Virginia in 2001. After completing residency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, he served as a staff Pediatrician at the Halyburton Naval Hospital at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point. He was selected for specialty training in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a 2-year cancer prevention fellowship and earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology with research on the associations between perinatal vitamins and cancer. He is board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and at Eastern Virginia Medical School.  
 
Captain Feldman founded the Military Children’s Oncology Benevolence Society to raise awareness and charitable donations in support of children’s cancer research and military pediatric oncology patient care. He has been involved in many other organizations, including the Tidewater Pediatric Society, Habitat for Humanity, Chesapeake Free Care Clinic, and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. 

 

About Bernard Behrend, MD, FCPP (1908-2004)

Dr. Behrend was an internist with a subspecialty in Occupational and Industrial Medicine. A graduate of Germantown High School and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Behrend was one of the first physicians to receive board certification in occupational medicine in 1958. His interest in this discipline evolved while serving as a surgical examiner for the Army Induction Board during the 1940s. Following his recuperation from tuberculosis, he pursued his career in the emerging field of industrial and occupational medicine.

He was the Medical Director at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Director of Occupational Health at Smith, Kline and French (Glaxo SmithKline), Albert Einstein Medical Center and the Louis Goldsmith Clothier. Dr. Behrend also provided care at the Sidney Hillman Medical Center to members of the Male Apparel Industry Union. He was a frequent contributing author in Hygeia Magazine, which was the official publication of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Behrend was Emeritus Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine at The Medical College of Philadelphia.

The children of Dr. Behrend—David, Daniel, and Catherine—are honored to have established this lectureship.


Please note: By entering the event premises, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, promotional purposes, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia/The Mütter Museum and its affiliates and representatives.