Program Director's Message

Arash Heidari, MD, FACP, FIDSA
Program Director

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Morehouse School of Medicine/Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Internal Medicine Residency program.

This program is based primarily at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Kern County’s largest hospital in Bakersfield, California. The facility includes 385 general acute beds, 40 licensed adult critical care beds, a full-service Emergency Department with an accredited chest pain center, and a nationally certified stroke center. The program is sponsored by Morehouse School of Medicine which provides the program solid academic support and educational resources. As a member of CommonSpirit, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S., the program is joined by a network of over 15 specialties in the California Region.

The program with its diverse, experienced, and committed faculty at all participating sites offers a robust curriculum and clinical experience focusing on a learning environment conducive to education and quality healthcare.

The mission of the program is aligned with the Morehouse School of Medicine through its focus on health promotion and healthcare delivery in underserved communities, with Kern County and Southern California being one of the most diverse communities in the nation with vulnerable populations. The program will begin interviewing candidates in the fall of 2024 and will welcome our inaugural class of Internal Medicine residents in July of 2025.