Minako Watabe, MD

Minako Watabe, MD

Chief Medical Officer of Ventura County Medical Center & Santa Paula Hospital

Dr. Minako Watabe has served as Chief Medical Officer for Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital for the past three years. Prior to that, she served as the associate CMO for three years and has practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist in the Ventura County system for 15 years, primarily at Santa Paula Hospital Clinic.

She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and completed her medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA.

While practicing in Ventura County and serving as associate CMO in 2021, she received her Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Watabe most recently led key local initiatives, including co-development of the first Indigenous Doula Program with MICOP and Gold Coast Health Plan and recently led efforts to formalize the VCMC Language Access Program to enhance care for patients with limited English proficiency, particularly those who speak indigenous languages.