What is Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine?
Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine is specialized health care for patients 12 through 25 years of age. We serve as both a primary care clinic as well as a subspecialty clinic for a variety of needs specific to adolescents and young adults.
We recognize adolescents and young adults need specialized medical care with a provider whom they feel comfortable talking to about their concerns. This is an important stage of development that allows gradual independence and increasing personal responsibility for health care as our patients grow into adulthood. Our team is dedicated to helping each patient and their family members navigate this stage of life with the utmost professionalism and unwavering compassion.
What about patient confidentiality?
Under federal and Maryland state law, a minor less than the age of 18 years may consent to confidential health care without their parents’ consent or presence for the following services:
- Psychological treatment
- Sexual and reproductive health care to include testing and treatment of venereal disease
- Substance abuse
We promise our patients confidentiality. We ask parents to leave for part of the visit to maintain confidentiality and to build trust. During the visit, if we discover our patient is in any danger that would cause harm to themselves or others, we will break confidentiality and encourage them to discuss those issues with their parents or guardian. Any necessary intervention will be initiated by the health care provider.
Patients 18 years old and older will need to call to schedule their own appointments.
All patients are asked to bring their own valid military ID to be seen in the clinic.
Clinic Vision
The vision of the Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (AYAM) Clinic at Walter Reed is to champion our adolescent and young adult patients to make healthy decisions leading to improved health care outcomes. We aspire to be the health care clinic of choice for adolescent and young adult patients throughout the National Capital Region for both primary and subspecialty care.
We will educate physicians-in-training to provide increased opportunities for comprehensive care for their adolescent and young adult patients. We will provide high-quality medical care to meet the diverse needs of our military-connected patients and their families.
Clinic Mission
The mission of the Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (AYAM) Clinic at Walter Reed is to provide safe, reliable, and trustworthy evidence-based health care tailored to the needs of our nation’s adolescent and young adult military-connected dependent children ages 12 through 25 years. We strive to promote the physical, mental, and social well-being of our patients and are committed to serving as leaders, advocates, and educators in our military community.
Meet Our Providers
Saira Ahmed, MD, FAAP
MAJ, MC, USA
Service Chief, Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine Clinic
Associate Program Director, Transitional Year Internship
Executive Committee Member - Army, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Uniformed Services
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University
What inspired you to pursue a career in health care?
I’ve always known I wanted to be a pediatrician—I’ve loved working with kids for as long as I can remember. Before medical school, I taught high school math in Bridgeport, Connecticut through Teach For America. That experience had a huge impact on me. I saw firsthand the challenges teenagers face and how important it is for them to have adults they trust in their corner. That’s what inspired me to go into adolescent medicine.
What is your area of expertise, and what do you enjoy most about your work?
I’m an adolescent medicine specialist, which means I work with teens and young adults as they figure out life, health, school, relationships, and everything in between. I especially enjoy helping with things like contraception, menstrual issues, acne, depression, eating disorders, etc. I also really enjoy working with military families and helping teens navigate the ups and downs of military life. What I love most is being able to support young people during such a critical time and help them feel more confident, healthy, and ready for adulthood.
How do you ensure a positive patient experience in your care?
In adolescent medicine, we really take the time to get to know our patients. We make space for one-on-one conversations so they can ask questions privately and start learning how to take ownership of their own health. We also work together on making positive changes—whether that’s quitting vaping or marijuana, exercising more, cutting down on screen time, or building better habits in general. We want our clinic to be a place where patients and families feel comfortable, heard, and supported.
Can you share a memorable moment or success story from your practice?
One of the best parts of my job is seeing a patient come back feeling better—smiling more, laughing again—after starting treatment for something like depression or anxiety. Those moments really stick with me. I also love working with medical students and residents. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch them grow more confident throughout their rotation and start to feel comfortable taking care of adolescents. Seeing their excitement when something clicks or when they connect with a patient makes teaching one of the best parts of what I do.
What are your interests outside of work?
I’m a big Formula 1 fan and will talk your ear off about the next race or my favorite teams and drivers if you let me! It’s one of my favorite ways to relax and unwind outside of the clinic.
Harshita Saxena, MD
What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare?
I am a 2nd generation Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine physician, following in the footsteps of my mom who was in the same field. I grew up hearing stories of teen resiliency and of kids overcoming the odds to become happy, healthy, thriving and successful young adults. I have always been inspired by the resiliency of youth who overcome medical and/or life challenges and enjoy playing a small part in their health and wellness journeys.
What is your area of expertise and what do you enjoy most about your work?
I am a Pediatrician who is also board certified in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Surprisingly, many people are still not aware of this subspecialty. I enjoy making connections with my patients and maintaining these relationships over the course of my patients’ adolescence and young adulthood. It’s amazing to be able to watch young people transform into amazing young adults!
How do you ensure a positive patient experience in your care?
I aim to provide compassionate care in a comfortable and trusting environment that is free from judgement. I hope to meet patients where they are at, working together to address mental and medical concerns that may arise. It takes time to cultivate positive relationships with patients and their families and it is always my goal to create an environment where patients and their families walk away feeling heard and that their concerns were addressed.
Can you share a memorable moment or success story from your practice?
Every patient I see who ages out of the military health care system with a strong sense of identity, purpose and independence, who is able to navigate the health care system and advocate for themselves in the is a success story in my eyes.
What are your interests outside of work?
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family including my two adolescents and my fur baby (4 year old labradoodle named Suki). I enjoy the arts and find joy in being creative, whether it be knitting gifts for the people in my life, cooking for my family and friends or picking up the guitar (learning in my adulthood!). I love hiking, traveling and being outdoors. In my eyes, a perfect Saturday morning would be spent reading a good book with a good cup of coffee and my dog in my lap.