Natividad Medical Center

Dr. Sheetal Ankolekar, MD
J.J.M. Medical College, India

I was born and brought up in India. After completing my medical education and an OB/Gyn residency in India, I relocated to California with my husband and daughter. I chose Natividad’s Family Medicine program for several reasons – the unopposed training environment, the high quality and high volume of OB training, and the kindness of the faculty, staff and residents. I plan to practice in the outpatient setting and to possibly pursue further education in palliative care or obstetrics. Outside of medicine, I enjoy swimming, arts and crafts and watching kids’ movies with my daughter – Shrek is her favorite!

Dr. Ian Atkinson, MD
Ross Univ. School of Medicine

Coming to Natividad Medical Center for Residency has become a dream come true.  I grew up in various parts of Monterey County and have grown fond of both the geography and the wonderful people.  I would never had guessed in a million years that I would have the opportunity to come back home for residency!  I am so happy to have the opportunity to work at NMC because they have some of the warmest, nicest and most compassionate medical staff that can be found anywhere.   The patient population is absolutely amazing to work with and I have yet much to learn from my future experiences interacting with the people of Monterey County.  I am practicing my Spanish everyday and hope I will be able to communicate effectively with the Spanish speaking patients in their native language.  In my free time I enjoy going to the gym for a workout or going mountain biking or to the beach for some fun in the ocean whether it be SCUBA, surfing or skin boarding.  Professionally, I am interested in all aspects of medicine so that I can prevent, treat or palliate almost any disease of the human body and mind.  I look forward to the upcoming experiences here at NMC and hope to make a positive influence in the lives of all I come into contact.

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Dr. Aurelio Gonzalez, MD
Temple University

Having grown up in a vibrant Cuban community in Miami, the predominantly Spanish speaking patient population at Natividad is very close to my heart.  My inspiration to become a doctor springs from my desire to help those less fortunate who might otherwise be overlooked by the present medical system.  During my residency, I hope to acquire the skills and experience to go on to provide health care to underserved groups in my own practice.  The kindness and support by the staff, administration, fellow residents as well as patients here at Natividad is second to none and a wonderful learning environment platform to launch a new residency experience.  As an added bonus, much like Miami, the coastal location also allows me to pursue another passion, which is surfing.  Other interests include playing the guitar, jogging, receiving calls from loving family members, sleeping at an appropriate hour, driving with the windows open, petting small animals and hearing other people tell funny jokes.

Dr. Kate Johnson, MD
University of Vermont

After college in New Hampshire, graduate school in Maine, and medical school in Vermont, I found myself seeking more diversity, warmer weather, and a place where I could be trained in true full-spectrum family medicine. Following a fabulous rotation as a fourth-year medical student, I was convinced that Natividad was a perfect place for me. I loved the high-volume OB, the kindness and gratitude of the patients, and the dedication and common commitment of the residents, faculty, and staff. My husband and I are excited to be moving to California and are looking forward to taking advantage of all the activities the Central Coast has to offer. We like fishing, hiking, boating, and anything else that gives us an excuse to be outdoors!

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Dr. Scott Landis, MD
University of Tennessee

To borrow from William Faulkner, I was born male and single at an early age in Shelbyville, Tennessee. I am still alive but not single. Now I am married to the incomparable Pippa Browne, whom I met while working at the Zimbabwe Outward Bound School. I got that job while bicycling through southern Africa. I have also instructed Outward Bound courses in the mountains of western North Carolina, the Florida Everglades, and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. When I returned from three years in Zimbabwe, I decided to study medicine in order to return there someday to serve as a physician in a remote hospital or clinic. Studying History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill prepared me well for life but not for applying to medical school. So for two years I worked as an EMT on the weekends in an ER while taking science classes during the week. Our daughter Maple celebrated her first birthday as I began my first year at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Now our city girl enjoys the climate and beauty of the Salinas Valley and the nearby coast, which remind her mother of her own childhood in southern Africa. As a former experiential educator I am drawn to the “learn-by-doing” philosophy of this residency program. I feel confident that, after three years here, I will be prepared to handle the medical needs of people in underserved areas, both in the U.S. and in Africa.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, I grew up in Jersey and went to college at UC Berkeley. From there I completed an MD PhD program at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. My PhD work was in biomedical imaging and pathology. However, life in the lab, where I was programming all day in front of a computer, did not appeal to me. I decided I wanted to work with people in a specialty that did a lot of procedures. Originally, I chose ophthalmology as my specialty, but I realized it was just too focused for me. I switched to family medicine because of the patient continuity and the skills it would give me to help the most people possible. My dream is to do medical mission work, and I believe that right here in Salinas, I can fulfill that dream- without much travel! As for fun activities: I enjoy sewing and cooking, and spending time with my family. I am blessed with 3 children. The last one was born during grand rounds while working as a “sub I” my 4th year of medical school!

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Dr. Angelica Salazar, MD
Boston Univ. School of Medicine

I come from a family of Mexican decent, and I am ever so proud and grateful for my parent’s commitment towards fulfilling on the American Dream after struggling as migrant farm workers. Salinas Valley became our permanent home soon after I was born. I grew up in a ranch surrounded by fields as far as the eye could see and a spirit of curiosity, awe and respect for nature and life. I attended Alisal High school and went on to Stanford University where I majored in Biology with emphasis in molecular biology and a minor in Art History. After undergrad, I chose to do research in molecular genetics to quench my interest in figuring life out at the most fundamental level. I was fortunate to be a part of the Stanford Human Genome Center where I contributed to the global effort of sequencing the human genome. Following this I was itching to break my shell and experience the other coast and moved to Boston. I attended Boston University for my MA and realized that clinical medicine was what I wanted to dedicate my life to and I continued my education at Boston University School of Medicine. I am proud of my work with the urban underserved and homeless population at Boston and had the opportunity to have a memorable International Health experience doing a summer project assessing the health needs of an Andean indigenous community in central Ecuador. I am delighted and excited to have come full circle and back to the west coast to start at Natividad Medical Center training in Family Medicine where I have the greatest opportunity to give back to my community. Among many things I enjoy yoga, meditation, reading about world religions and philosophy, wellness and nutrition, and I have a keen interest in international health, integrative medicine and mental health. I hope to integrate all these interests in my future practice and open a clinic that provides comprehensive care.

Dr. Nicholas Urrutia, MD
Ross Univ. School of Medicine

My name is Nicholas Urrutia and I was born and raised in CA. I was born in Glendale but moved to Hanford (San Joaquin Valley) at a young age and consider it my home. I began my medical education at the international program at the University Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico then transferred to Ross University after my second year. Before I started medical school, I took two years to do missionary training/work in Norway, Tanzania and Portugal. While in Norway, I met my wife, Anne Lene. We were blessed with a baby girl last year. I chose family medicine because of the great variety that it offers and am very happy about joining the program at Natividad. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors (hiking, snowboarding, surfing), reading and spending time with my family.

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