Meet Dr. Kunani

Poornima Kunani, MD, is a pediatrician at the Kaiser Permanente Ming Medical Offices in Kern County. In addition to seeing pediatric patients, Dr. Kunani is the Physician Champion for Kaiser Permaenente's pediatric weight management program called KP KIDS (Kids in Dynamic Shape), the Physician Champion for the Reach Out and Read program and Bakersfield's TV Turnoff Week coordinator.

Dr. Kunani's training and experience comes not only from her medical background, but also from her other full time job as the mother of a six year old son and three year old daughter.

Dr. Kunani knew she wanted to become a doctor from the time that she was just a child herself. In sixth grade her aunt's life was saved from what could have been a deadly case of meningitis, thanks to timely medical intervention, and it was then that Dr. Kunani found her calling in medicine.

Dr. Kunani decided she wanted to work with children because timely intervention in both physical and medical matters can help give children a lifelong future of good health.

As a parent and a doctor, Dr. Kunani says you should trust your parental instinct and choose a doctor as you would your partner in life. You will have to rely on your child's doctor to help you through the good and the bad when it comes to raising a healthy kid. Dr. Kunani also adds: "Childhood is precious. Parents should nurture their children and give them a childhood they would love to remember as adults."