Riley Chief Medical Officer followed childhood dream

Even as a child, Riley Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Mara Nitu knew she would care for children someday, either as a pediatrician in the small Romanian village where she grew up or a chemistry teacher. However, she never imagined her journey would take her more than 5,000 miles away from her hometown to Indianapolis and Riley Hospital for Children.

Dr. Nitu vividly remembers her life "on the other side of the Iron Curtain" where her fellow Romanians could not travel outside of the country let alone live and work somewhere other than Romania.

"Growing up, my plan was [that] if I got into medical school, I was going to be a pediatrician in the village, and I would live there and take care of the kids in the village," Dr. Nitu said.

Much like the United States, getting accepted into medical school in Romania is quite an accomplishment. The regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu fell when Dr. Nitu was halfway through the six-year medical school program. She recalls learning from a professor who taught in English, and sparked her determination to learn the language to continue her pursuit of a medical degree.

"I said to myself, I need to learn medical English because I'm going to learn what's being taught," Dr. Nitu said.

Ultimately, Dr. Nitu earned her medical degree and found herself in America pursuing postgraduate training. She walked through the doors at Riley in October 2001 and began her first of many roles: a night physician in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) as well as a physician on the then-Riley Transport Team.

Dr. Nitu explained that her role on the transport team included "working herself out of a job," so to speak. She was tasked with training the team and setting them up for success in such a way that they would no longer need a physician to travel with them.

Her career continued to evolve as she was promoted to medical director of the transport team, followed by medical director of the PICU, then division chief for critical care at Riley, and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, before ultimately accepting the chief medical officer role, which she has held for three years.

"I'm very blessed, I have the best possible job," Dr. Nitu said.

Dr. Nitu continues serving as a critical care physician in addition to her role as CMO, though her time spent with patients is far less these days. Dr. Nitu said, "A little bit of the time I'm a patient-doctor and most of the time I'm a hospital-doctor, a process-doctor."

She is also a mother to two daughters who are achieving their own career goals in medicine and finance. Dr. Nitu can easily recall raising her girls while practicing medicine, which is no small feat. That chapter of her life is the reason she is passionate about encouraging young female physicians who are also caring for young children.

"Don't count yourself out," Dr. Nitu said. "Don't think, 'Oh, I'm falling behind.' Enjoy time with your children when you can and don’t feel guilty about missing school events, playdates, or sports events! They will grow up independent and strong!”