Nehkonti's Bio
One morning, when Nehkonti Adams was a little girl, her sister told her they were playing a game.
"Be quiet and roll on to the floor," she said.
Nehkonti obeyed, thinking it was fun to keep her head below the window line.
But what was to a child a game, was in reality, the beginning of the Liberian Civil War. Soon after, Nehkonti and her family fled their home in Monrovia, Liberia to seek asylum in the United States.
Nehkonti was born in Liberia—her mother a nurse and her father a cardiologist. Though the nation was poor, they lived well and were surrounded by a community they deeply loved. They went on vacations, she attended a good school in Monrovia and the family spent holidays celebrating together.
When she arrived in the States, she had to adjust to a new way of life. What was once familiar was now foreign. For now, she left behind her Liberian roots and put thoughts of what was a grim civil war back home out of her mind. After graduating high school, Nehkonti began to search for her path in life. She decided to join the Navy as an Undesignated Seaman and soon left for her first deployment to South America.
It was there that her path took a different turn.
While in Brazil, Nehkonti met a Liberian national who had been displaced by the civil war and told her about the tragedy back in Monrovia. During that same deployment, she also visited West Africa for the first time and, up until that moment, she hadn’t realized the gravity of what war had done to her country.
Back in 1989, as the result of years of military coup d’états and an uprising from a prior Liberian minister, civil war broke out in Liberia. In one of Africa’s bloodiest wars, over quarter of a million people were killed, girls her age were sold as sex workers and millions of people were displaced from their homes.
She knew at that moment she wanted to help refugees. Help displaced families. Help her birthplace. And in doing so, she discovered the Navy isn’t just about deterring conflict, it is about helping those in need.
Today, Dr. Nehkonti Adams is the Navy’s Director of Tropical Medicine. She trains U.S. military doctors and nurses in how to identify and treat infectious diseases that aren’t traditionally seen in the United States. She was on the Ebola Coordinating Committee at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana during the Ebola crisis. She sat on the committee of the Ministry of Health in Ghana, helping to create a preparedness plan for the country. And today, she’s working the front lines on the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. During her career, Dr. Adams has worked missions in Togo, Ghana, India, Thailand, Peru, Brazil and Tanzania—almost 40 countries around the world.
Her work has also taken her back home.
In 2008, she returned to Liberia for the first time since her family had left in 1986. She established a field mission there for doctors to learn about tropical diseases from the local doctors and patients.
Since the end of the civil war, her parents have returned to Liberia, which has finally found peace. Her father is the head of the medical school in Monrovia and her mother runs a school. During her field missions, she visits students, orphanages, rural hospitals, sets up dance competitions, buys books for schools and helps support the locals, many of whom still live in poverty.
Nehkonti still remembers what it was like to be that little girl scared to look out her window. She finds it hard to imagine what her life would have been like if it had been marred by conflict, so she feels she can never stop giving back to those whose lives were.
“It only takes one act in someone’s life to change the course of their life. That is why you cannot stop. Because you never know what act it will be.” – Dr. Nehkonti Adams

Homecoming
Navy Tropical Medicine
Navy Doctor
Don’t limit yourself to a life in the operating room. As a Medical Officer in the Navy, you will get the chance to care for patients using top-of-the line equipment in hospitals around the world. You will be there for injured Sailors when disaster strikes, but you will also get the chance to help people everywhere from the Amazon to Asia to Africa. If you want to stay closer to home, you can serve Sailors and their families on bases across the country. Navy physicians make a difference that stretches beyond the reach of the traditional American healthcare system. Take your practice beyond the hospital wing as a Medical Officer in the Navy. Learn more about becoming a doctor.

More Episodes
The Fighter
Kaylah Gillums's dad taught her how to box. The Naval Academy taught her to fight.
The Protector
When disaster strikes, Aircrewman Esmelin Villar leaps into action to save lives.
The Quiet Professional
Silence is a weapon. And no one wields it better than SWCC Boat Operator Nick O’Sullivan. Meet one of the Navy’s best kept secrets now.
The Provider
When Ana Monterrosa became a single mother at 18, everyone told her to stop chasing her dreams, but Ana knew she was capable of more.
Snipe
Engineman Desirae Martinez rolled up her sleeves to become one of the Navy’s first female Mark VI Patrol Boat coxswains.
The Bridge
After a traumatic accident, Hospital Corpsman Dominique Velazquez made a miraculous recovery and joined the Navy to pay it forward.
Liberated
Health Care Administrator Diana Tran-Yu proudly serves the country that gave her freedom.
The Lens
Photographer Kathleen Gorby tells the Navy’s story through the lens of her camera.
The Interpreter
Digging for purpose didn’t happen in her own backyard—it took her all the way to Bahrain.
The Seventh Sailor
Home's hard to leave. This Sailor watched 6 siblings join the Navy before it was his turn.
The Wallflower
Sometimes, it takes four legs to remind you how important your purpose is in the world.
Stuntwoman
Dreamed of doing her own stunts but found action that doesn't end when they yell "cut."
The Achiever
For one homeless teen, a Navy education offered a chance to make the world a better place.
El Oyente
Justin Alvarado found his way as he journeyed to Spain in search of a new path in the Navy.
Junior
Michael Benitez thought he was leaving family behind but found a new one joining the Navy.
THE WALK-ON
Some train to play college football, but former SEAL Damian Jackson simply walked on.
Selfless
When this Sailor must leave her family to ensure their future, her strength is tested.
Lifeline
Being curious changed this Sailor's mind about the Navy. Then it changed her life.
The Ascender
A life of relocation and instability set him up to fail, but the Navy ensured his success.
Life Preserver
A life preserver. Sailor saves people from perils at sea and feeds the hungry on days off.
Dirt Sailor
This Sailor learned the importance of a meaningful life while staying true to his roots.
The Driver
As a Navy Reserve Sailor in America's Navy, he’s also chasing his dreams to become a NASCAR driver.
Momma Bear
She juggles multiple roles with pride and proves you can accomplish anything in the Navy.
Miss Congeniality
In remaining an individual, she exemplifies the strength in staying true to yourself.
Citizen No. T399836
Sailor uses personal struggles by giving back to the country that gave his family so much.