Meet Melinda L. Ragins, M.D., M.P.H.
Castro Valley Office, Pediatrics

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they smile and laugh. If you’ve ever met Dr. Ragins, you probably realized very quickly that her warm and lively laugh is a reflection of her down-to-earth and genuine personality.

Dr. Ragins was raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She has five brothers and sisters, which was considered a small family for the mid-west. Although she grew up in the mid-west, visits to her aunt in San Francisco made her fall in love with California and she hoped someday to live here.

Dr. Ragins’ path to medicine started in middle school. “I first became interested in medicine in the seventh grade. We were studying anatomy and my teacher’s enthusiasm made learning fun,” remembers Dr. Ragins. “I also had a high school science teacher who encouraged me to attend the University of California, Berkeley to pursue my love of math and science.”

Dr. Ragins did attend UC, Berkeley and initially studied chemical engineering and then switched to integrative biology. She wasn’t thinking specifically about medicine at the time, but just studying what she was interested in. After completing her undergraduate studies and working for a few years, Dr. Ragins then completed her master of public health from the University of Illinois. The next career step was to become a doctor. She attended medical school at Creighton University in Omaha and then, halfway through, transferred to Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, just outside of Chicago, which brought her closer to her husband, who was working in Chicago.

After finishing medical school, Dr. Ragins and her husband wanted to move back to California. She completed her residency at the Harbor University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center in Torrance. Dr. James Seidel was one of her mentors at Harbor that greatly influenced her perspective on pediatric medicine. To some, he was known as the father of pediatric emergency medicine. She adds, “During my first year, he really intimidated me because he demanded so much from all of us. We were always expected to instantaneously know the answer when he asked us a question. But, I got to see how dedicated he was to teaching us so that we could give our patients the best treatment possible. He inspired us to become excellent doctors.”

Shortly after residency, Dr. Ragins found Bay Valley Medical Group and relocated to the East Bay. “I was instantly attracted to Bay Valley Medical Group’s family environment. I appreciated their integrity, history in the Bay Area and camaraderie. When I interviewed with Bay Valley Medical Group, it just felt right.” Dr. Ragins has been with the Group since 2003. She is passionate about pediatrics and devoted to insuring that her patients and families receive top-notch care.

Dr. Ragins recently took up running and has recently run in both the San Jose half marathon and the Oakland half marathon. She has two children-- a six year-old son and a three year-old daughter.

Dr. Ragins is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. She is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Dr. Ragins practices pediatrics at Bay Valley Medical Group, which offers multi-specialty services and has offices in Hayward, Castro Valley, Danville and Pleasanton. Dr. Ragins is located at Bay Valley Medical Group’s office in Castro Valley (510) 581-2559