Navy Captain (Ret.) Dr. Steve Ferrara is a native Arizonan who knows the meaning of hard work and leadership. Steve started working at 13, picking up the driving range at Coronado Golf Course in Scottsdale. Steve graduated from Brophy and received his degree with honors at UCLA. Already accepted into medical school when Operation Desert Storm erupted, Steve answered the call to duty and volunteered for the Navy where he could care for combat casualties.
In 2004, a massive Asian tsunami left over 230,000 dead and countless more sick and injured. At the President’s orders, Steve was with the first team to deploy to Indonesia aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy. In a historic first-of-its-kind mission, Steve and his shipmates spent the next six months tending to the survivors, saving lives and alleviating suffering. The mission was such an overwhelming success in both human and political terms that “medical diplomacy” has become a pillar of American foreign policy, inspiring the Navy to refer to itself as “A Global Force for Good.”
In 2009, he volunteered to be the first of his specialty to deploy into combat. In Afghanistan, he transformed combat casualty care by pioneering life and limb saving endovascular surgical techniques on the battlefield. The Wall Street Journal reported on his groundbreaking advances in a lead article, “On Distant Battlefields, Survival Odds Rise Sharply.” Endovascular surgery became a standing capability of the U.S. military’s trauma team.
In theater, Steve also discovered that IED blast victims in armored vehicles shared a set of common injuries, including spinal injuries. As reported by USA Today, his front line research led him to design a blast-mitigating seat for these vehicles that the Army quickly funded. This reduced incidence and severity of spine injuries for our warriors.
Home from war, Steve entered the battlefield of ideas. As a National Academy of Sciences Fellow, Steve brought teamwork and problem solving to Capitol Hill. There he was instrumental in drafting major bipartisan legislation that transformed Medicare Part B, securing access to higher quality, more affordable care for seniors. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the legislation was signed by the President in April 2015.
Following his tenure on Capitol Hill, Steve was tapped to be the Navy’s Chief Medical Officer. There he helped lead 63,000 medical professionals caring for over 9 million active duty, dependents, and retirees.
Steve holds numerous awards and recognitions including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
Steve and his wife, Elizabeth, an active duty Navy Captain, have two wonderful teenage children, Madeleine and John. They know that free enterprise, limited government, and individual freedom are vital to our country’s success. Steve will take his principled style of servant leadership to the Halls of Congress to serve the people of Arizona.