Dr. Ngido joins CRMC as newest pediatric hospitalist

COOKEVILLE – Most physicians get into their field to help others. Much of the same is true for Fabian Ngido, M.D., Cookeville Regional Medical Center’s (CRMC) newest pediatric hospitalist. As a doctor, he had sights on helping people in his native country.

As a physician specializing in pediatrics, it was about helping kids, a passion furthered in recent years by his two young children, ages 4 and 6.

In his new role at CRMC, it’s also about helping ease the workload in a growing department, one that’s seen an increase in births and admissions in recent years.

Ngido was born and raised in Tanzania, a country in East Africa. From a young age, his studies, he said, put him on a path to be a physician. He earned a scholarship to attend Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. Besides earning a medical degree from the school, it was there that he also met his wife, a native of Fairfax, Va. After graduation, the couple decided to move to the United States so Ngido could continue his medical career. That recommenced with his internship and residency in pediatrics at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine – and his ensuing hire at Cookeville Regional as its newest pediatric hospitalist, working solely with children who have been admitted to the medical center.

He started in July.

Ngido is working hand-in-hand with CRMC’s two other pediatric hospitalists, Dr. Jack Carey and Dr. Apryl Hall, and Colleen Flanders, a neonatal nurse practitioner who joined the staff in April. Ngido’s advisor at East Carolina had worked with Hall in the past, during her residency, he said, which was an initial point of interest for him and foot in the door. Plus, there was another part of the job description he liked best: The ability to work with children of all ages, from newborns to age 18, and treat a variety of patients, cases and illnesses.

“Being exposed to different age groups was a big factor,” Ngido said. “It’s more challenging (working in a hospital environment) because the kids are sick, but it also gives me happiness to help them feel better so that they can go home.

“It’s busy here, so I think it’s worth having more hospitalists, and we get to see more patients,” he added.

Outside of work, Ngido said he enjoys the outdoors, running, hiking and sports in general, especially soccer. While his busy schedule has kept him from traveling home to Tanzania as often as he’d like, he still wants to carry out the initial idea that got him started on a path toward medicine, helping expand the scope of medical care there.

“I come from a developing country where medical care is still not that great, so I was hoping that getting into the medical field would give me the opportunity to serve people,” he said. “Right now, the main thing for me is living and working in the U.S. but maybe (next year) I’ll be able to go more regularly and do some volunteering for the people there, working with some of the clinics to see if I can offer something.”

Otherwise, he is settling in to his new role and looks forward to continued growth of the hospital’s pediatric program.

“I took a chance. I think I made a good move coming to Cookeville, especially working for the hospital,” he said. “I’m looking forward to new challenges and providing the best care I can to the children of the Upper Cumberland.”

 

Dr. Fabian Ngido is a pediatric hospitalist at Cookeville Regional Medical Center and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Hospital Medicine as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academic Pediatric Association. For more information, visit www.crmchealth.org.

Liz Engel is the editor of the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. She can be reached at liz@ucbjournal.com

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