Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Pediatric Pulmonologist Charles Dadzie, M.D., Reflects on 40+ Year Career

Retiring critical care and pulmonology expert reflects on standout cases and technology advances

After more than 40 years in practice as a pediatric pulmonologist and pediatric critical care medicine specialist, Charles Dadzie, M.D., plans to hang up his stethoscope at the end of this year. The renowned caregiver and medical educator spent most of his career with and will retire from K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, though he will retain a resident advisory and teaching role.

While his grand plan as a young physician entailed returning to his native Ghana to practice, political unrest there shifted his focus. After filling in for his manager at a meeting at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Dr. Dadzie was recruited to launch the center’s pediatric ICU, and within a year, the Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine program. He accomplished both and four decades later, he’s helped evolve the field with the advent of new diagnostics, drug therapies and preventive care strategies.

Dr. Dadzie spent years on call every single day, due to his specialized expertise and board certification in both pediatric critical care medicine and pediatric pulmonology and dedication to patients. He also leant his unique expertise to device innovation conferences, which over the years helped bring supportive technology to the youngest patients.

When Dr. Dadzie began practicing in the eighties, lung function and flow mechanics testing wasn’t available for younger children. Over the decades, he embraced lung function tests as they made their way into practice, first for older children, then toddlers and infants. While these tools make diagnosis more definitive, Dr. Dadzie urges medical residents to still perform a “top-to-toe” examination.

“Even though the focus is pulmonary, you must look beyond the lungs, and may identify issues beyond your specialty that could vitally influence a child’s health,” he said. “All the technology in the world can’t replace “good old-fashioned listening.” To the many pediatric residents and medical students he teaches, Dr. Dadzie imparts the importance of a detailed history and listening to parents’ narrative, and not to lean exclusively on the many technological tools now at their fingertips.

Dr. Dadzie knew early on he wanted to focus on pediatrics, and a family member succumbing to asthma motivated his focus on pulmonary medicine. While in practice in the mid-eighties, he recalls one particular case that confirmed his decision to pursue this medical focus.

“I’m meant to be here,” Dr. Dadzie thought after caring for a comatose 18-month-old infant. The patient had suffered a violent head injury and shaking—a medical history given by a 5-year-old sibling because the parent was under the influence of cocaine—which left Dr. Dadzie managing significant brain swelling in the child. The team maintained a chemical coma while the swelling decreased over the next week. The team then successfully transitioned the patient off the ventilator. With rehab, the child recovered with minimal paralysis effects.

Another career-affirming case involved a child who fell through ice and was trapped underwater for 30 minutes. On arrival, it was all hands on deck, from physicians and nurses to medical students and residents. They warmed the child and started to see cardiac activity. They spent the entire night at his bedside. He pulled through, and later saw Dr. Dadzie as an outpatient for asthma care. Dr. Dadzie was able to follow the boy into adulthood.

He credits his long-standing team, including nurses Rosie and Barbara, who have spent 33 years working together, and administrative assistant Marilyn, Bruce Grossman, M.D., Sam Thomas, M.D., and many residents and students over the years, as partners in his successful career. Dr. Dadzie also leaves the division with confidence that Pediatric Pulmonology Division Chief Dr. Nader Nakhleh, DO, will continue the important work he helped initiate.

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