Barbara Chini, MD

Biography

As a pediatric pulmonologist, I care for children and adolescents with a wide variety of lung problems, including cystic fibrosis. I am also a sleep medicine specialist, treating patients with sleep apnea and sleep disorders. I feel that it is an honor and privilege to be a physician and leader at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

I learned much about being a servant-leader, and an advocate for social justice, during my undergraduate years at the University of Notre Dame. My favorite building on campus was the Center for Social Concerns, a kind of headquarters for various service activities. These experiences led me to medical school at Vanderbilt, where I found myself happiest taking care of children and young adults. I discovered that listening — really listening — was the key to becoming a good doctor.

Pediatric pulmonology is the perfect fit for me. I enjoy tackling diagnostic dilemmas, discovering clues in the patient’s history and developing treatment strategies that are logical and tailored to each individual patient. I treasure the long-term relationships I have with my patients and their families. I feel blessed to work with several multidisciplinary teams at Cincinnati Children’s, which enable me to take better care of my patients.

My research activities are collaborative, working with clinical teams to discover the best treatment options for children with complicated obstructive sleep apnea, especially those with Down syndrome or craniofacial anomalies.

My leadership positions have made me a better physician and have enabled me to contribute in a larger way toward improving the health of children. I was Director of our Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Training Program from 1999 to 2020 — helping to train almost 50 pediatric pulmonologists during that time. Since 2010, I have been a medical director on A7C, the inpatient unit for our pulmonary patients. Currently, I am clinical medical director of Pulmonary Inpatient Services, for my Division of Pulmonary Medicine. My favorite part of being a leader is working with teams passionate about improving treatments, processes and healthcare delivery for patients and their families.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking and cooking with my husband and two children. I also love to watch old movies, especially those with Bette Davis, Kathryn Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck.