Dr. Charles Njinimbam’s medical career spanned decades, but it began with a young teenager’s interest in the anatomy of a frog.
By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
As a child growing up in Cameroon in Central Africa, Charles Njinimbam used to catch frogs in the creek near his home.
Nothing unusual about that really, except it turns out he was preparing himself for a career in medicine.
He didn’t hurt the frogs, mind you. He simply examined them before letting them go.
When his father saw what he was doing, he predicted that his son would some day become a doctor, and he was right.
That young man went on to medical school and a pediatric residency in Liberia, followed by another residency at Riley Children’s Health/IU School of Medicine and a fellowship in newborn medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
“I used to see movies about Boston, and I wanted to go there,” said the physician, who is quick with a laugh. “I really liked it.”
From 1995 to 1999, he was assistant professor of pediatrics and attending neonatologist at the University of South Carolina in Charleston, before returning to the faculty of IU School of Medicine and joining the neonatology team at Riley.
And now, 25 years after his return to Riley, Dr. Charles Njinimbam is retiring from full-time work, though he is not ruling out potential opportunities to write and consult, particularly in the area of infant sleep studies.
He didn’t always see neonatology as his career path, he said.
“To begin with, I wanted to be a surgeon. We had a family friend in Cameroon who was a surgeon. He was trained in the United States, and he used to wear his white coat. I admired him.”
He also considered internal medicine and pediatrics, but by the time he arrived at Riley for his residency, he had set his sights on neonatology, and he recalls peppering Dr. William Engle with questions.
“I like to talk,” he said with a chuckle. “And I like thinking.”
Eventually, the student became the teacher as an attending neonatologist and faculty member. The son and grandson of educators, the man’s passion for teaching should come as no surprise.
“I enjoyed rounding with the team. I just loved it,” he said. “I like to teach the residents and encourage them.”
That’s one of his many strengths, said division chief Dr. Laura Haneline.
“Charles has nearly 30 years of neonatology faculty experience, with 25 years at Riley,” she said. “He is a consummate educator, who loves teaching at the bedside or through lecturing.”
But it is his heart and his relentless optimism that she will miss most.
“When a colleague needed assistance, he was usually the first to offer to help,” Dr. Haneline said. “In addition to his impact on teaching, I will greatly miss his positivity, his work ethic and his collaborative team spirit, which he brought to work with him every day I’ve known him.”
Dr. Diane Lorant, who also recently retired after 25 years in neonatology at Riley, described Dr. Njinimbam as “a workhorse.”
“We had a lot of holes in the schedule at times, and he went above and beyond in terms of filling in,” she said. “He really held the section together for a while with all the extra things he did.”
Dr. Njinimbam’s goal when he started in medicine was to help people, he said, and he feels confident that he was able to do that – whether it was the fragile preemies who needed a champion, the parents who needed hope and compassion, or the residents who needed supportive learning opportunities.
“I just like what I do,” he said. “I was never tired. My mind goes all the time.”
Now though, the father of five adult children would like to spend a little more time in his garden, tending to his roses and vegetables, as well as cooking, playing guitar and maybe playing a little golf.
“I’ve done my best,” he said. “I’ve done some good things for my patients.”
And to think it all started with a frog.
Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org