Practices
About David
Dr. Sterns is a board-certified occupational medicine physician and experienced medical director with a proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering high-impact employee health programs. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Sterns earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Lee University before completing his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.
He began his clinical career as a U.S. Navy medical officer, completing a pediatric internship at Naval Medical Center San Diego before being competitively selected for designation as a Naval Flight Surgeon in Pensacola, Florida. As a flight surgeon with VMU-2 and VMA-231 at MCAS Cherry Point, Dr. Sterns developed a deep interest in occupational health and human performance under demanding operational conditions.
Pursuing advanced training, he completed both his Master of Public Health and residency in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. From 2020 to 2022, he refined his clinical and leadership capabilities with a focus on workplace safety, injury prevention, and systems-based practice.
Dr. Sterns currently serves as the Public Health Head at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, where he leads an integrated team of physicians, audiologists, optometrists, industrial hygienists, and allied health professionals providing comprehensive occupational health services to over 8,000 civilian and military personnel. His tenure has been marked by steady leadership through pivotal transitions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Navy-to-DHA reorganization, and the implementation of the DoD’s new electronic health record, MHS GENESIS.