Former Navy Medicine West Commander welcomes Son to the Navy Medicine Family

Photo By Regena Kowitz | Vice Adm. C. Forrest Faison, Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery thanks Ensign Aidan Pearigen, son of Rear Adm. Paul Pearigen, for his support of his father during a retirement ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, Aug. 16. The ceremony, which honored Pearigen's 27 years of service, immediately followed the Navy Medicine West (NMW) change of command during which Rear Adm. Timothy Weber assumed command from Pearigen. This was the last change of command for NMW as, on Oct. 1, the command will become Medical Forces Pacific with a new mission and new organizational structure as the Defense Health Agency takes over the administration and management of all military treatment facilities, including the Navy's.  

UNITED STATES

09.19.2019

Story by BUMED PAO 

U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

by Michael Rhode, BUMED Communications Directorate, Historian's Office

As Chief of the Navy Medical Corps, Rear Adm. Paul Pearigen climbed to one of the highest peaks of Navy Medicine. Now his son Aidan is following a similar path, beginning his career in the foothills.

Paul Pearigen commissioned Aidan into the Navy Medical Corps in spring of 2019, and over the summer, spoke at his graduation from the Officer Development School.

Ensign Aidan Pearigen is now in his second year of medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia on the same Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program that enabled his father to receive medical training in the 1980s. The new Ensign also went to the same officer training that his father did.

“It was a kick—and a great privilege—to be the guest speaker for graduation of Officer Development School Class 19050, returning to the very same campus at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island where I attended what was then called Officer Indoctrination School some 35 years ago,” Rear Adm. Pearigen said. While it was an added bonus to know that my son was out there somewhere in the sea of 192 junior officers, my message was to all of them—aspiring Navy doctors and dentists, nurse and Medical Service Corps officers, and a handful of nuclear training and cybersecurity officers.”

Aidan Pearigen graduated with both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in bioengineering. The Admiral’s advice to his son upon starting medical school was “Be kind. Be engaged. Be interested. Be positive. Be disciplined. Be respectful. Be purposeful. Be yourself—the best version of yourself.”

In spite of his achievements, RDML Pearigen credits Aidan’s mother as the probable source for his medical career. “She is a pulmonary & critical care physician and teacher at the University of California San Diego, and has been able to expose him to many aspects of her hospital-based medical practice over the years both through the stories we shared at the dinner table as well as the times he volunteered at her hospital and observed the environment,” noted Dr. Pearigen.

Ensign Pearigen also volunteered at Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care Center during college, working in the gait analysis laboratory.

Dr. Pearigen retired in August, and plans to remain in San Diego where since late 2016, he headed Navy Medicine West, directing Navy Medicine’s health care system in the Pacific.

He is not planning on returning to the emergency room, although he misses caring for the patients there, noting “my experience of naval service will remain very much a part of me, and it will grow and deepen with time and reflection. It has been a rich experience, a lifetime privilege, and an honor to serve.”

• Date Taken: 09.19.2019
• Date Posted: 09.19.2019 13:59
• Story ID: 342388
• Location: US