Healthy Family, Healthy Life - Honoring a Veteran OB/GYN and Board Trustee
For a devoted family man like Dumrong Tangchitnob, MD, FACOG, choosing to bring new life into the world as an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) was an obvious choice. And opting to align with Emanate Health was a perfect fit, in addition to serving on the Emanate Health Foundation Board of Trustees for years.
“I love my community. I’ve been here [with Emanate Health] for over 30 years, and it’s an honor to have input as a trustee. The Foundation is fundamental to our organization,” said Dr. Tangchitnob.
As a father of two successful physicians and husband of more than 40 years, appreciating the significance of a healthy family is inherently who Dr. Tangchitnob is. “When I was in medical school, I truly realized that women go through a lot,” he explained. “They go through dynamic changes every month, having babies, hormonal fluctuations. I believe the best thing in life is family, and the woman is the most important part.”
That realization, along with his upbringing in Bangkok where the importance of empathy was instilled early on, led him to become a doctor focusing on women’s health. “In Thailand, you are [considered] part of the family as a physician,” Dr. Tangchitnob explained. “There is honor in it.”
FAMILY FIRST
This focus on family and empathy has been passed down through generations among the Tangchitnobs. His brother is a fellow OB/GYN, and now both of Dr. Tangchitnob’s grown children have followed in their footsteps.
He is fortunate to practice medicine alongside his son, Edward, a robotic gynecologic surgeon and functional integrative physician who joined his practice more than 10 years ago. “He carries on my mission into the next century by infusing my preexisting practice with advanced technology,” Dr. Tangchitnob shared. “I’m very proud of him.” In addition, Dr. Tangchitnob’s daughter, Pamela, is a practicing physician specializing in geriatrics and palliative care.
Happily married since 1979, Dr. Tangchitnob deeply respects his wife, Suphang, and places family above all else. “I couldn’t have come this far without my wife,” he relayed. “I was away in training for seven years. She supported me and raised two children by herself.
“I respect women more and more because of what I’ve seen her go through,” he continued. “She sacrificed her life and freedom for her family. She’s my life partner.”
EVOLUTION OF OBSTETRICS
Having begun his career as an OB/GYN upwards of 40 years ago, Dr. Tangchitnob has witnessed the evolution of obstetrics and gynecology firsthand. When he completed his medical training in the late 1970s while in the Air Force in Thailand, fetal monitoring for a woman in labor consisted of checking the baby’s heart rate with a stethoscope every half hour leading up to delivery. In contrast, Dr. Tangchitnob can now monitor deliveries wirelessly on a smartphone thanks to the advanced medical technology implemented at Emanate Health.
COMMUNITY FOCUS
Serving on the Emanate Health Foundation Board of Trustees since 2015, Dr. Tangchitnob helps to secure funds to ensure Emanate Health remains on the cutting edge of diagnostics and treatment.
He also does his part to nurture the relationship with medical staff, helping to ensure physicians feel supported and maintain the drive that brought them to the medical field. It is beyond a doubt that Dr. Tangchitnob’s love for the community— and for Emanate Health— has only grown in the past decades.
As a Center of Excellence Master Robotic Surgeon, Dr. Tangchitnob was instrumental in working with colleagues to help procure Emanate Health’s first surgical robot in 2009. As one of the first 100 medical centers in the world to implement this technology, it was certified as a “Center of Excellence” in Minimally Invasive Gynecology and Robotic Surgery in 2013.
Today, Dr. Tangchitnob is a successful OB/GYN, robotic surgeon, and an Emanate Health Board of Trustee member—all driven by his commitment to family and community.
As a family, the Tanchitnobs have generously donated their time, talent, and treasure to the Foundation. They serve as an example for other physicians and health care professionals to support Emanate Health and promote health and wellness in the San Gabriel Valley.
