Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has joined the team at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat service members, veterans and their families dealing with complex neurological problems tied to traumatic brain injuries and puzzling illnesses often called Havana Syndrome. She frames the work as a duty and an honor, bringing frontline emergency experience and urgent care leadership to military medicine. Her medical background, past public health leadership and a withdrawn Surgeon General nomination have kept her in the public eye as she returns to hands-on care for those who serve.
She’s now focused on government and military patients who present with unusual neurological and vestibular complaints, aiming to coordinate multidisciplinary care. The caseload spans intelligence officials, diplomats and uniformed personnel, plus family members facing confusing symptom patterns. Those patients often require careful evaluation across neurology, ENT, rehabilitation and mental health specialties to piece together a path forward.
Havana Syndrome describes a cluster of unexplained neurological symptoms reported by U.S. personnel overseas, including hearing sensations, dizziness, cognitive complaints and balance problems. Investigations continue, and officials are still working to figure out whether a hostile actor, environmental exposure or another mechanism is to blame. While answers remain incomplete, the medical response focuses on diagnosing treatable conditions and restoring function for affected Americans.
HAVANA SYNDROME ‘PATIENT ZERO’ REJECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FINDINGS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARY ‘VERY UNLIKELY’ remains part of the public debate, but the clinical work at Walter Reed is deliberately nonpartisan and patient-centered. The priority is delivering care that helps injured service members recover and get back to life, regardless of unresolved policy questions. Medical teams are tasked with stabilizing symptoms, assessing brain injury and coordinating rehabilitation plans.
“It’s a profound honor to care for our nation’s soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and the VA; many returning from the front lines with traumatic brain injuries, blast exposures and complex neurological symptoms,” she said, noting the weight of serving those who have acted in harm’s way. That commitment drives a focus on evidence-based therapies, symptom management and restoring daily function. Rapid access to specialists and a steady care plan can make all the difference for recovery trajectories.
She described the institutional mission this way: “provide comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care that helps patients heal, recover function, and return to the highest level of wellness possible.” Translating that mission into practice means pulling together neurology, vestibular therapy, physical medicine and mental health professionals under a single plan. Patients need both diagnostic clarity and consistent follow-up to rebuild physical and cognitive stamina.
“It is an honor being part of a team dedicated to helping our brave service men and women heal and regain hope after sacrificing so much for our great country,” Nesheiwat said, emphasizing a hands-on, empathetic approach. She added that “service and sacrifice run deep in my family.” Those personal ties shape how she treats patients and how she prioritizes military-focused care in a busy clinical setting.
“Several members of my family are veterans of the Korean War, the Afghanistan War and Iraq War,” she said. “Their example, along with many others, gave me a deep respect for our military and makes caring for soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and in the emergency room especially meaningful this Memorial Day weekend.” That personal history feeds into long shifts in the emergency room and extra volunteer hours at VA facilities.
Nesheiwat is double-board certified in family medicine and urgent care medicine and volunteers in the VA emergency room while treating patients at Walter Reed. She graduated from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed a family medicine residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she served as chief resident. Her resume also includes leadership running urgent care operations and managing public health responses during outbreaks and crises.
Her frontline roles during COVID-19 in New York City and her tenure as the first female medical director for a major urgent care system are part of how she approaches high-pressure clinical environments. She was previously nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, a nomination that was later withdrawn amid ideological differences over vaccination policy and public health approaches. A source familiar says she has initiated legal action against outlets that mischaracterized her background.
Upon that withdrawal she said she was “looking forward” to continuing to support Trump while working closely with the Trump administration “in a senior policy role.” She also stated, “My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed.” She remains connected to defense circles through family ties and ongoing clinical work.
She is the sister-in-law of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz, and the public shuffle of surgeon general nominations continued afterward, with Casey Means briefly nominated and then withdrawn before a later nomination shifted to Dr. Nicole Saphier. Her current work at Walter Reed brings clinical focus back to the bedside, where many troops and veterans need practical, evidence-driven care now.
