Meet Our Team

Meet Our Doctors

Sudha Russell — Bakersfield, CA — Pedi Center Urgent Care

Sudha Russell, MD - A member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Sudha Russell joined in April 2019 as a pediatric urgent care physician at the Pedi Center in Bakersfield.

Dr. Russell received her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She completed a pediatric residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, where she served a year as Chief Resident. Following her residency, Dr. Russell went on to complete a fellowship in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, and later completed a second fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

In addition to her love of learning, Dr. Russell is also committed to teaching; she has held several academic appointments at esteemed universities including the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Florida State University College of Medicine. Dr. Russell has also shared her expertise through community lectures and workshops throughout her career, including lectures at California State University, Bakersfield. She is also a veteran of the Air Force and served in several clinical and administrative roles during her service, including as a consultant to the Surgeon General of the United States Air Force.

A strong supporter of community advocacy, Dr. Russell has volunteered with the American Red Cross in a variety of roles since 2015, and has also held past senior community leader positions with organizations like March of Dimes and UNICEF. In her free time, Dr. Russell enjoys running local 5k races in Bakersfield and loves trying new fusion cuisine recipes.

Practice Philosophy

“In my view, when parents come to my practice, they are entrusting me with their most precious possession – their child – and so it is imperative that I give my very best at all times.

When a patient is in my care, he or she is my direct responsibility, and I will always treat them with the same regard and care as if the child was my own.”

Medical Degree

Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

General Pediatrics - Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Emergency Medicine - Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

Pediatric Emergency Medicine - Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Allergy and Clinical Immunology - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Padmaja Kankar — Bakersfield, CA — Pedi Center Urgent Care

Padmaja Kankar, MD - Dr. Padmaja Kankar joined as a pediatric urgent care physician with Pedi Center Urgent Care team in Bakersfield in December 2018. She comes to us from Clinica Sierra Vista in Bakersfield, where she practiced as a pediatrician for 10 years.

Dr. Kankar earned her medical degree from SV Medical College in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. She then went on to complete an internship and residency at Metropolitan Hospital at New York Medical Center and White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Kankar has been an active researcher, focusing a significant amount of her research on stroke education and prevention. She submitted an abstract of her research on Community Risk Factors (Epidemiology of Stroke, Community Stroke Education Programs) to the American Heart Association International Stroke Conference.

A talented linguist, Dr. Kankar speaks English, medical Spanish, Hindi, Telugu and Urdu.

Medical Degree