Ernie Ciambarella is CPS Outstanding Pediatrician
Ernie Ciambarella is glad he was sitting down when Kate McGovern, past president of the Cincinnati Pediatric Society, told him at Grand Rounds that he would be honored as the 2018 Pediatrician of the Year at the Spring Awards Dinner on May 20.
“I was so surprised and humbled,” he says. “It immediately brought back a lot of great memories about my time as a practicing pediatrician and all the wonderful people I worked with.”
“Dr. Ernie,” as he is known to patients and families, grew up in Cincinnati, the only child of Italian immigrants. For the first 10 years of his life, he lived in Mt. Adams. “My aunts, uncles and cousins lived on Ida Street,” he recalls fondly. “I spent a lot of time wandering in and out of their houses, eating whatever was being served. It was like a movie.”
Being part of a close extended family influenced his decision to choose pediatrics when he ultimately attended the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “I identified with kids,” he explains.
He also identified with the moms. “In Italian families, the men are the head of the family, but the women run the show,” he says.
Early education
As a medical student, Ciambarella enjoyed his rotations at Cincinnati Children’s. During that time, he met Bill Schubert, MD, who was then chief of staff and director of the pediatric residency program. “That’s when I first realized how smart he was, how much he cared,” says Ciambarella.
After earning his MD in 1974, he did his pediatric internship and residency at Cincinnati Children’s. “Residency was great,” he says. “My classmates and I worked hard for long hours together, and we forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime. I also had so many great teachers, especially Uma Kotagal and Irwin Light.”
Following his residency, Ciambarella completed a one-year fellowship in neonatology, with Light as his preceptor. He initially worked in Emergency Medicine at Dayton Children’s for 10 years, but the idea of working closer to home tugged at him. In 1986, he went into practice with Dick Santangelo and Joe Cionni at Pediatric Offices, Inc. on Cincinnati’s West Side. Later, they joined with Charles Deitschel and Groesbeck Pediatrics to form Queen City Physicians, Ltd.
A patient-focused work ethic
Additionally, he devoted himself to improving care coordination between primary care providers, subspecialists and the medical center for kids with complex conditions. In fact, when he signed on with Cincinnati Children’s as the first community physician leader representing the West Side in 2012, care coordination became his area of focus.
“Being a community physician leader gave me the opportunity to work with excellent people, like Camille Graham, Jim Davis, Ann Saluke, Rick Berger, Pierre Manfroy and Eva Komoroski,” he says. “I’m a strong believer that when you put talented and caring people in a room together, good things happen. Cincinnati Children’s was serious about improving communications between the hospital and community pediatricians, and I wanted to be part of that. Plus, I wanted to give back to the hospital. I enjoyed every single meeting. We got a lot done.”
All about relationships
Ciambarella says balancing family life with his office family was his biggest challenge. “You can’t really call being a pediatrician a job – it’s so much more than that,” he explains. “I was so fortunate because I got to practice the art of medicine. The biggest challenge for pediatricians today is getting past all the technology and Press Ganey scores. Electronic medical records are necessary, but they can get in the way of building relationships and trust.”
Ciambarella retired last year, but he stays involved with the Physicians for a National Healthcare Plan (PNHP). “I talk to the community about the benefits of a single payor system and try to answer any questions,” he says.
Last November, he won the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training’s Practice-Based Research Award for his work involving care coordination with Cincinnati Children’s.
When he’s not volunteering, Ciambarella enjoys taking long morning bike rides in the country. He and his wife, Jeanne, make frequent trips to Hilton Head and spend a lot of time with their grandchildren Annie, Lucy and Leo.
“I look back and realize how lucky I’ve been to grow up in Cincinnati and have a career doing something I feel passionate about,” he says. “I owe a lot to my family and to Cincinnati Children’s. When I think about how my parents came over from Italy and started a new life here – I still get emotional about my good fortune.”
