Dr. Paul Watanakunakorn MD is the founding Program Director for the Internal
Medicine Residency at Sierra View MedicalCenter. Originally from Ohio,
Dr. Watanakunakorn completed undergraduate studies earning a BA at Duke
University, and received his MD from Northeastern Ohio Medical University.
Following residency training in Internal Medicine and an additional year
as Chief Resident and Associate Residency Program Director at Summa Health
System in Akron Ohio, he returned to the Youngstown, Ohio area where he
was in private practice and was a member of the teaching faculty at Northside
Regional Medical Center for over ten years. In 2013, Dr. Watanakunakorn
became Director of the Internal Medicine Clinic at Northside Regional
Medical Center, where he oversaw day to day operations of the clinic as
well as teaching of the internal medicine residents in clinic. He also
served as Medical Director for the Infusion Center. Dr. Watanakunakorn
was Clerkship Director for third year medical students from NEOMED, Ross
University School of Medicine, and American University of Antigua School
of Medicine rotating in Internal Medicine. Dr. Watanakunakorn served on
many hospital committees including as Chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Committee, and served on the Northside Regional Medical Center Board of
Trustees, including 3 years as Chairman. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor
of Internal Medicine at Northeastern Ohio Medical University, and sits
on the NEOMED Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Watanakunakorn also served
as Team Physician for the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL – Tier 1) for
9 years, coordinating and providing health care for the entire hockey
team including multiple NHL draft picks.
In 2019, Dr. Watanakunakorn relocated to California to help oversee and
finalize the accreditation process for the new Internal Medicine Residency
program at Sierra View Medical Center. He resides in Springville with
his wife Amanda, daughter Alexis and son Joshua. Outside of medicine,
Dr. Watanakunakorn’s interests include golf, skiing, cooking, and
serving as a media correspondent writing feature articles on former Youngstown
Phantoms for their website.
Associate Program Director
Nashwan Obad, MD, is the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine
Residency Program at Sierra View Medical Center. Dr. Obad is a lifelong
resident of Porterville, where he graduated from Porterville High school
- Class of 2007. He originally started his journey at SVMC as a volunteer
in the Medical Records Department during his high school years. Dr. Obad
attended University of California, San Diego for his undergraduate studies
and Ross University School of Medicine for his medical education. In 2021,
he completed residency from San Joaquin General Hospital and joined Sierra
View Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department immediately following
graduation.
Dr. Obad is interested in Graduate Medical Education and Academic Medicine.
His main focus is investing in and providing the best medical education
experience for medical students and residents while helping them become
the most competitive and well-rounded physicians. Outside of medicine,
Dr. Obad loves spending time with his family, including daughter Iman
and son Hassan. He also loves reading, watching documentaries, and barbequing.
Internal Medicine GME Residency Coordinator
Brandi Holmes is a lifelong resident of the Central Valley. Working with
Sierra View Medical Center for roughly six years, Brandi previously worked
as an office manager for a local funeral home, Myers Funeral Service &
Crematory, for 12 years. She is currently their Trustee and has also worked
as a Notary Public since 2008.
She serves on the R.I.S.E. Committee (Response in a Stressful Environment),
a peer-support program developed to provide emotional support to SVMC
employees and physicians impacted by traumatizing events. Brandi has her
undergraduate degree in psychology, Master’s in Health Administration,
and is a certified Training Administrator for Graduate Medical Education
(C-TAGME). She has two daughters, Katie and Allie, and her fiancé Steve.
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