Three Brar family physicians bring world-class maternal-fetal medicine to Riverside

Riverside, CA — At Riverside Community Hospital (RCH), excellence in women’s health has long been driven by clinicians who choose not only a profession, but a purpose. Few embody that commitment more fully than the Brar family — three highly trained maternal–fetal medicine (MFM) specialists who have chosen to bring their national expertise back to the community where their careers began.

Dr. Harbinder Brar, Program Director for the OB/GYN Residency and Chief of Maternal–Fetal Medicine at RCH, has spent decades caring for high-risk patients across the Inland Empire. Board certified in MFM, obstetrics and gynecology and clinical genetics and genomics, he has helped shape the hospital’s reputation as an essential resource for families facing complex pregnancies. But this year, his work has taken on a deeply personal dimension as his son and daughter-in-law have now joined him in practice.

Dr. Bobby Brar, who was born at Riverside Community Hospital, returned home this summer after completing a four-year combined fellowship in maternal–fetal medicine and clinical genetics and genomics at Johns Hopkins University, which is one of the most competitive training pathways in the country. Soon after, his wife, Dr. Pooja Brar, joined the team following her own rigorous MFM fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Together, the Brars bring an extraordinary breadth of expertise back to the Inland Empire, a region recognized as one of California’s “maternity care deserts,” where shortages of women’s health providers make access to care a critical public health issue. Despite receiving recruitment offers from prestigious academic centers nationwide, the family made a unanimous decision to serve the community that shaped them.

“We feel honored and privileged to care for patients here,” said Dr. Harbinder Brar. “This region has given our family more than we could ever ask for, and we are unwavering in our commitment to give back.”

Their decision reflects a shared belief in HCA Healthcare’s mission: to recruit, train and retain exceptional physicians who strengthen community care where it’s needed most. For the Brars, this mission is personal. Bobby and Pooja completed formative years of their residency training at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where they experienced firsthand the impact of HCA Healthcare’s investment in teaching hospitals. The senior Dr. Brar has long partnered with RCH to expand access to high-risk maternal care, an effort that accelerated during Jackie Van Blaricum’s tenure as CEO.

That collaboration is now transforming into something larger: a multi-generational vision to build the premier maternal–fetal medicine program in the Inland Empire. The Brars focus on three pillars — high-quality evidence-based care, cutting-edge research and training the next generation of physicians.

Their work is already elevating RCH’s profile. As physician leaders in a growing academic OB/GYN program, they are helping RCH attract competitive residents, expand subspecialty capacity and develop new clinical pathways for high-risk pregnancies. Their deep training in clinical genetics also allows local families access to advanced diagnostic and counseling services that once required traveling hours away.

“Our work is about saving lives and improving outcomes for mothers and babies,” said Dr. Pooja Brar. “But it’s also about honoring where we come from and creating something meaningful together.”

Their story is not only a testament to clinical excellence, it reflects what happens when world-class physicians choose to reinvest their talents in the communities that need them most. At Riverside Community Hospital, the Brar family is redefining what’s possible for maternal health in the Inland Empire, one generation at a time.