EMDP2 Student’s Miniature Masterpiece Enters Naval History
A one-inch painting by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi honors Navy medical history and has been inducted into the service’s permanent collection.
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Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi, a student in the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) at the Uniformed Services University, holds her framed miniature painting, "Old Naval Hospital." Shadabi views the precision required for her art as deeply connected to the discipline required for her future career in medicine. (Photos courtesy of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi) |
January 21, 2026 By Zachary Willis
A tribute to naval history measuring barely larger than a postage stamp has secured a permanent place in the archives of the United States Navy.
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi, a student in the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) at the Uniformed Services University (USU), recently saw her miniature painting, "Old Naval Hospital," inducted into the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).
The induction highlights the unique, multifaceted talents found within the enlisted ranks of the military medical corps. For Shadabi, however, the painting is more than an artistic achievement; it is a meditation on the shared discipline of art and medicine, and a memorial to those who served before her.
A Microscopic Tribute to History
Shadabi’s work is a study in precision. Measuring just 1 inch by 1.5 inches, "Old Naval Hospital" depicts the historic facility at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast Washington, D.C.
Commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 to serve the growing number of Civil War casualties, the facility was the first naval hospital built in the District of Columbia. When it opened its doors in 1866, its first patient was Benjamin Drummond, a 24-year-old African American seaman who had escaped Confederate capture. For decades, the facility served as a critical care center for sailors and Marines before transitioning into a training school for the Hospital Corps, and eventually an arts and community space.
Her decision to paint this specific subject was born from a desire to honor the "quieter side of Navy medicine.” Before beginning the work, Shadabi visited the site—now the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital—to experience the space personally.
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"Old Naval Hospital," a 1-inch by 1.5-inch miniature painting by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi. The piece, which features thousands of microscopic brushstrokes, depicts the first naval hospital built in Washington, D.C., and was recently inducted into the Naval History and Heritage Command. (Photo courtesy of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi) |
"Although it no longer functions as a hospital... you can truly feel it when people say the walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than many chapels," Shadabi says. "That history of care and human experience still lingers in the space.”
The discipline required to execute the painting mirrored the focus required in clinical settings. Shadabi spent more than seven hours on the canvas, applying thousands of microscopic brushstrokes. During those hours, she found herself mentally transporting into the building’s history.
"I thought about what a quiet afternoon might have felt like in that hospital, the stillness, the crisp linen sheets, and the faint sting of carbolic acid and alcohol that once lingered in the air," she says.
The Intersection of Art and Science
Shadabi is a member of EMDP2 Cohort 12, a selective two-year program that allows promising enlisted service members to complete preparatory coursework for medical school while remaining on active duty. While the program’s curriculum focuses on physics and chemistry, Shadabi sees no division between her scientific studies and her art.
"Even while studying chemistry and physics, I constantly see the same principles at work in painting," Shadabi explains. "How pigment behaves... or how the thickness and viscosity of paint affect control.”
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| In addition to historical architecture, Shadabi often paints subjects that bring comfort, including portraits of therapy dogs. She draws inspiration from historical figures like George Stubbs, studying the anatomy of subjects to paint them with "accuracy and power." (Photo courtesy of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi) |
"There is art in medicine and medicine in art," she says. "Both require precision, creativity, and compassion.”
Hands that Heal and Create
Shadabi’s artistic education began long before she donned a uniform. She began studying color theory at age five, raised in a family where art was "not optional but essential," and rooted in values of patience and respect for craft. She progressed through graphite, oil, and watercolor, eventually finding her rhythm in oil and pastel.
She views herself not as self-taught, but as a student of history’s great artists. She draws inspiration from figures like George Stubbs, who spent months working as a medical anatomy painter to understand muscle structure so he could paint horses with "accuracy and power,” as exemplified in his masterpiece, “Whistlejacket.” This approach mirrors her view of medicine, where "devotion to healing also means respecting lineage, learning from experience, and practicing with humility and care.”
However, her artistic voice deepened significantly during her service as a Corpsman. Working closely with patients taught her how to truly observe the nuance of human emotion—from the relief of a final chemotherapy session to the anxiety of a new diagnosis.
Most poignantly, she noticed how patients who had someone beside them often fared better than those who faced their battles alone.
"It reinforced something I strongly believe: the best medicine for a human being is the presence of someone they love," Shadabi says. "That awareness carries into my art. When I paint birds flying, I often add a companion... and if I paint one flying solo, maybe it’s on a mission.”
"Holding a brush feels very similar to holding a patient’s hand," she added. "Both require presence, gentleness, and an understanding that small actions can offer comfort.”
Recognition on a National Stage
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Rear Adm. (ret.) Dr. Fred Sanford inspects Shadabi’s miniature work during an exhibition. Shadabi’s art has been featured in high-profile venues, including the Salmagundi Fine Art Club in New York City and the Arts in Health Exhibition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, celebrating the intersection of creativity and healing. (Photo courtesy of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Shokoufeh Shadabi) |
Closer to home, the piece was featured in the 22nd Annual Arts in Health Exhibition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Shadabi notes that the Walter Reed exhibition was particularly meaningful as it brought together patients, staff, and civilians in a space that "celebrates creativity and healing.”
Shadabi credits her EMDP2 leadership for supporting her artistic endeavors alongside the program's rigorous academic demands. She recalls a moment when Dr. Lisa Harris, the EMDP2 director, emphasized the importance of maintaining one's identity.
"I know I would still paint regardless," Shadabi says. "But having leaders who see you, who support you, and who make space for you to remain yourself makes an enormous difference.”
A Permanent Legacy
Now part of the Navy Art Collection, which spans centuries of history, Shadabi’s miniature will be preserved for future generations.
“When future sailors see the painting… I hope they recognize something familiar in it; the kind of work that doesn’t draw attention to itself but still holds weight,” Shadabi says. “I also hope it shows that meaningful contributions can come from unexpected paths. If it reminds someone that patience, consistency, and care can lead to outcomes they didn’t plan for, then the work has done something worthwhile. And if it simply causes someone to pause for a moment and think about the people who came before them, that’s enough.
As she continues her journey toward medical school, Shadabi remains committed to the philosophy that "meaningful contributions can come from unexpected paths.” Her advice to other service members with hidden talents is simple: bring care and intention to everything.
"Even if a passion seems unrelated to your current MOS [military occupational specialty], it doesn’t mean it has no place," she says. "When nurtured with discipline and purpose, they become assets that build resilience, leadership, and a deeper capacity to serve others.”
