Since 1934, Kern Medical has been training residents and
health care professionals in our community.
Academics
Welcome to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Kern Medical
Greetings from the Internal Medicine Residency Program Director:
We are delighted to have you learn more about our Department of Medicine at Kern Medical.
Kern Medical is a 222 bed teaching hospital located in Bakersfield, California in central California’s San Joaquin Valley. The hospital was founded in 1867. The Department of Medicine has a long and rich history since its inception. In addition to its almost 150-year history of excellent clinical care, the teaching mission of Kern Medical and the Department of Medicine has been in existence since the 1930’s. Our institution is devoted to the educational nurturing and clinical growth of medical professionals that contribute to this long history. We have a very supportive Department of Medical Education and an administration devoted to the educational mission of the hospital.
The affiliation between the Department of Medicine residency program and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has been in place since 1981. The Internal Medicine residency program continues to flourish and is fully accredited by the ACGME. Faculty members retain academic appointments with the David Geffen School of Medicine through UCLA.
The department has had distinguished medical pioneers including Hans E. Einstein, MD (February 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) who was the foremost authority on Coccidioidomycosis and chaired the department. Internationally recognized Infectious Disease experts Royce Johnson, MD and Arash Haidari, MD continue to research valley fever and are currently running an NIH-sponsored clinical trial. The department is very supportive of scholarly activity, providing tools, mentorship, support and guidance in helping resident development their research skill set. The department has a complement of generalists, hospitalists, and sub-specialty physicians who provide outstanding clinical care and are known throughout the region as expert educators. Our department enjoys excellent support from surgical subspecialties and invasive radiology.
Kern Medical is a tertiary referral center providing care for a large portion of the population of Kern County as well as serving as the safety net hospital for patients with health care disparities. Kern Medical has the only trauma center for the County, is a certified stroke center, supports a catheterization lab, continuous EEG monitoring, and inpatient dialysis, is expanding ambulatory clinics county-wide, and provides services in multiple specialties giving our resident the opportunity of taking care of a very diverse population with complex medical conditions. The institution supports residency programs in Emergency Medicine, OB-GYN, Pharmacy, and Psychiatry as well as fellowship programs in Addiction Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Innovative programs within the department include an NCQA accredited Patient-Centered Medical Home for high-risk medical patients and the development of a similar medical home for high-risk behavioral health patients. Continued growth of the department is occurring with its clinical, educational, and research activities. The atmosphere of the department is stimulating and thrives on intellectual curiosity.
We are intimately involved in the education of medical students and accommodate 3rd and 4th year core and elective rotations. Our residency program accepts twelve residents per year and we are proud of our graduates who go on to pursue their professional careers locally, throughout California and the nation. We have placed residents in the following fellowships: Cardiology, Oncology, Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Pulm/Critical Care, and Gastroenterology, Nephrology, and Palliative Care.
Since 2021, we integrated an ID fellowship program under the guidance and support of our ID faculty who are internationally recognized experts in ID with focus on coccidioidomycosis.
There are many exciting changes going on at Kern Medical and our department will play a key role as our institution moves forward toward becoming a medical center of excellence in the San Joaquin Central valley. Each year we strive to be the premier Department of Medicine known for providing high quality primary and specialty care, in a supportive and balanced educational environment. It is indeed a privilege for me to work alongside such a dedicated group of colleagues who support a forward-looking institution as Kern Medical. I invite you to learn more about us as you view and explore our website.
Greti Petersen, MD
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program