Faculty

Greti Petersen, MD, FACP

Program Director
Internal Medicine
Clinica Sierra Vista (Comprehensive Care Center) FQHC

Medical School: Romania, Faculty of Medicine University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova
Residency: Kern Medical Center
Clinical Interests: I have always been interested in medical education, in teaching new generations of internists and excited to join a new program that will address the community needs in providing more exceptionally trained physicians to take care of our community. I have spent all my professional life in graduate medical education, caring for vulnerable populations in inpatient and outpatient internal medicine and obesity medicine (diplomate in Obesity Medicine since 2023).
Fun Facts/Interests: Traveling, avid reader, spending time with family and friends (some of them being my former residents), and volunteering.
 

Arash Heidari, MD, FACP, FIDSA

Program Director
Infectious Disease
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and Dignity Health Foundation of Bakersfield

Medical School: Azad University Tehran, Iran
Residency: Kern Medical Center
Fellowship: Infectious Disease, Cedars-Sinai/UCLA Multicampus Program
Clinical Interests: Understanding the pathophysiology of complicated internal medicine cases and discovering the correlation of comorbidities. Known for expertise in coccidioidomycosis and have pursued this fungus for decades.
Fun Facts/Interests: I enjoy family time, basketball, sightseeing, music, dancing, and topics in astrophysics and mechanical engineering.
 

Nosheen Hasan, MD

Associate Program Director
Internal Medicine
Inpatient Hospital Medicine

Medical School: American University of the Caribbean
Residency: Kern Medical Center
Clinical Interests: Graduate medical education and wellness initiatives 
Fun Facts/Interests: Love binging on shows on Netflix, crime documentaries, cooking through TikTok recipes, and  exploring new places with my toddler.
 

Kian Azimian, MD

Core Faculty
Emergency Medicine

Medical School: Keck Medical School at University of Southern California
Residency: Transitional Year – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center / Emergency Medicine Residency – Kern Medical Center
Clinical Interests: My professional interests include teaching medical students and residents, pediatric emergency medicine, critical care, and group management and administration.
Fun Facts/Interests: I love to travel with my family. I’ve completed 5 Ironman, 10 half Ironman races, and a couple ultra races (50 mile running races), and many half and full marathons. 
 

Harsukh Dhillon, MD

Core Faculty
Internal Medicine
Inpatient Hospital Medicine

Medical School: China Medical University, Shenyang
Residency: Michigan State University/Hurley Medical Center (PGY1-3)
Fun Facts/Interests: I grew up in Bakersfield, completed my medical training and decided to move back to serve the local community. I enjoy traveling, exploring different cultures and histories during my time off.

Maryam Talai-Shahir, MD

Core Faculty
Internal Medicine
Inpatient Hospital Medicine 

Medical School: St. George's University, School of Medicine 
Residency: Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield 
Clinical Interests: Inpatient Medicine and QI Projects 
Fun Facts/Interests: I enjoy spending time with family painting and taking pottery classes to unwind after a long shift. I also love hiking and relaxing at the beach.
 

Jerry Cheriyan, MD

Core Faculty
General Surgery

Medical School: Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India.
Residency/Fellowship: University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio and Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wisconsin
Fellowship: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota
Clinical Interests: My clinical interests include surgical quality and patient safety, high risk complex general surgery, trauma surgery, surgical critical care, chest trauma, shock, and coagulopathy.
Fun Facts/Interests: I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, watching my favorite sports teams around the world. I also like cycling, hiking and picture framing.
 

Amir Elhassan, MD

Core Faculty
Anesthesiology

Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Residency: Johns Hopkins
Fellowship: Ohio State University College of Medicine
Clinical Interests: My clinical interests include perioperative safety, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and critical care.
Fun Facts/Interests: I enjoy outdoor activities such as sailing, camping, and hiking.
 

Marsha Cheng, MD

Faculty, Outpatient Clinica Sierra Vista Site Director
Primary Care Provider, Internal Medicine
Outpatient Clinica Sierra Vista (Large FQHC in California)

Medical School: Keck School of Medicine at USC
Residency: Olive View-UCLA
Clinical Interests: Medical education and clinical informatics
Fun Facts/Interests: California native, born and raised in Los Angeles and completing all of her training in Los Angeles. In her free time, she likes baking and trying out new recipes and spending time with family.