June 2026 Honoree
Joshua Gilliam, RN
I found my way to this medical team after I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. As I waited in the exam room for 45 minutes, I heard people saying their goodbyes as they left for the day and began to suspect I'd been forgotten. I opened the door and ran into Josh Gilliam, who said he'd figure out who was supposed to see me. A few minutes later, a resident appeared and quickly did the log check. As I was leaving, I saw him in the hall, and he asked if we got everything taken care of. I commented that I was just there for a log check, and he asked me if I was seeing the same provider consistently for GD. When I said I was not, he offered that I could switch to NMCP and he would see me. I actually remembered him from my first pregnancy when we saw him for our first couple of appointments.
When I told my husband about the appointment, he immediately remembered Josh too. I've been in the Navy for 10 years, and my husband has been in for 14, and we can probably both count on one hand the number of medical providers we remember by name. The fact that we both remembered him from a few appointments in my first pregnancy really speaks to what an impression he makes on his patients. Later, my husband would tell a coworker that we really liked our midwife at NMCP, and without even saying his name, they knew whom he was talking about. This all seemed like a sign, so I sent Josh an email and asked if I could still switch. I emailed right at the end of the workday and got a call from his nurse first thing the next morning. She told me she had seen I had a growth scan scheduled for the next week so to come by as soon as I was done.
The growth scan didn't go well, or at least it felt that way at the time. It turned out the baby was measuring very big, and the OB in MFM was visibly relieved when I told her we had an appointment with Josh. She called him, and they came up with a plan to try to slow the growth of this 99th percentile baby. I was pretty upset at the prospect of taking insulin, and Josh reassured us that it was even easier than the finger pricks. He knew this, he shared, because he has type 2 diabetes and it's well managed by insulin. I hope I'm not putting his personal health information on blast, but I can't overstate how comforting it is in that moment to talk to someone who can tell you this isn't so bad, and they know that because they've been through this too. I can only imagine he probably shares that with many of his patients, since he seems to see many women with gestational diabetes, and I imagine his experience helps his patients.
As it so happens, a few weeks later we would learn that my husband also has type 2 diabetes, and I think being there for that appointment and knowing a medical professional who talked so openly about it helped him take the news a bit better and know that we could manage this. In fact, although he didn't go to my other appointments, he wanted to know what Josh thought about his diagnosis. At my 36-week scan, the baby was still measuring large, and the OB recommended a 37-week induction. I called Josh, somewhat panicked, because he initially said they didn't recommend inducing early; they would just do a C-section if the baby was too big. This plan was preferable to me because I wanted a vaginal birth, but I was still nervous about the change in plans. I feel kind of bad about this because it probably looked like I was second-guessing the opinion of a very qualified O-5 doctor (at least that's how it would have looked in my own legal community), but it's such a relief to have a trusted person you can call and be able to actually reach them.
At my six-week appointment, Josh asked if I was happy with everything even though they were wrong about the baby being so big. That's a really nice thing to be asked, and I am happy with how it went. He would say that my discipline was responsible for their estimate being wrong, but it's also their plan and consistent, compassionate care during a very stressful time. I've always spoken highly of NMCP's L&D after two deliveries there. I've usually had positive experiences once I could "get a foot in the door." I don't know if a third baby is in our future - I would have said definitely not when I first found out about the gestational diabetes - but if we do, I hope we're back in Norfolk so I can come back to this team.
When I told my husband about the appointment, he immediately remembered Josh too. I've been in the Navy for 10 years, and my husband has been in for 14, and we can probably both count on one hand the number of medical providers we remember by name. The fact that we both remembered him from a few appointments in my first pregnancy really speaks to what an impression he makes on his patients. Later, my husband would tell a coworker that we really liked our midwife at NMCP, and without even saying his name, they knew whom he was talking about. This all seemed like a sign, so I sent Josh an email and asked if I could still switch. I emailed right at the end of the workday and got a call from his nurse first thing the next morning. She told me she had seen I had a growth scan scheduled for the next week so to come by as soon as I was done.
The growth scan didn't go well, or at least it felt that way at the time. It turned out the baby was measuring very big, and the OB in MFM was visibly relieved when I told her we had an appointment with Josh. She called him, and they came up with a plan to try to slow the growth of this 99th percentile baby. I was pretty upset at the prospect of taking insulin, and Josh reassured us that it was even easier than the finger pricks. He knew this, he shared, because he has type 2 diabetes and it's well managed by insulin. I hope I'm not putting his personal health information on blast, but I can't overstate how comforting it is in that moment to talk to someone who can tell you this isn't so bad, and they know that because they've been through this too. I can only imagine he probably shares that with many of his patients, since he seems to see many women with gestational diabetes, and I imagine his experience helps his patients.
As it so happens, a few weeks later we would learn that my husband also has type 2 diabetes, and I think being there for that appointment and knowing a medical professional who talked so openly about it helped him take the news a bit better and know that we could manage this. In fact, although he didn't go to my other appointments, he wanted to know what Josh thought about his diagnosis. At my 36-week scan, the baby was still measuring large, and the OB recommended a 37-week induction. I called Josh, somewhat panicked, because he initially said they didn't recommend inducing early; they would just do a C-section if the baby was too big. This plan was preferable to me because I wanted a vaginal birth, but I was still nervous about the change in plans. I feel kind of bad about this because it probably looked like I was second-guessing the opinion of a very qualified O-5 doctor (at least that's how it would have looked in my own legal community), but it's such a relief to have a trusted person you can call and be able to actually reach them.
At my six-week appointment, Josh asked if I was happy with everything even though they were wrong about the baby being so big. That's a really nice thing to be asked, and I am happy with how it went. He would say that my discipline was responsible for their estimate being wrong, but it's also their plan and consistent, compassionate care during a very stressful time. I've always spoken highly of NMCP's L&D after two deliveries there. I've usually had positive experiences once I could "get a foot in the door." I don't know if a third baby is in our future - I would have said definitely not when I first found out about the gestational diabetes - but if we do, I hope we're back in Norfolk so I can come back to this team.
Thank you, Joshua, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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