SALINAS, CA. (October 16th, 2017) — The Natividad Medical Center has announced the appointment of Dr. Melissa B. Nothnagle of Rhode Island as its new Program Director of NMC’s Family Medicine Residency Program, replacing Dr. Steven Harrison, who has been with Natividad since 1991.

“Dr. Harrison has served Natividad Medical Center with distinction since 1991 and we are extremely thankful for his many contributions to Natividad and the Family Medicine Residency Program,” said Dr. Craig Walls, chief medical officer at NMC. “We wish Dr. Harrison well in his new endeavors. He leaves behind a better hospital and family medicine program thanks to his tireless efforts and leadership.”

Harrison, who was named Physician of the Year 2017 by the Monterey County Medical Society, is a family medicine doctor who practices in Salinas. He has been practicing for 28 years and has been affiliated with Natividad since 1991, starting as partime clinical faculty for the residency program.

He was in solo practice in King City for 18 years before joining the medical staff and faculty of the residency program at Natividad on a full-time basis. He maintained clinical privileges at George L. Mee Memorial Hospital in King City from 1989 to 2008. He is also a full professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Nothnagle will assume her position on Oct. 16, 2017. She is currently the program director of the Department of Family Medicine at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She is also Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Nothnagle received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, magna cum laude, in 1993 from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1999, from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine; and a master’ degree in health professions education from the School of Health Professions Education, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is licensed by the state of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Rhode Island Medical Society, Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and the Society for Family Planning.

About Natividad Medical Center (NMC)
Owned and operated by Monterey County, NMC is a 172-bed, acute-care hospital providing health care services to county residents for more than 132 years. Based in Salinas, California, NMC offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. NMC provides more than 38,000 patient days of care each year and has more than 52,000 emergency department visits per year.

NMC is a Level II Trauma Center providing the immediate availability of specialized personnel, equipment and services to treat the most severe and critical injuries. NMC’s Trauma Center is a vital community service locally that saves lives and eliminates the need to fly critically injured patients to a distant trauma center.

NMC is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 380 physicians, NMC’s mission is to continually monitor and improve the health of the people, including the vulnerable, in Monterey County through coordinated, affordable high-quality health care.

For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit https://www.natividad.com/.

Natividad Medical Center
1441 Constitution Blvd.
Salinas, CA 93912-1611
831-755-4196
www.natividad.com