Cook County Health recently recognized Dr. Chantal Tinfang as the health system’s Doctor of the Year.

Dr. Tinfang is a family medicine attending at Provident’s Sengstacke Health Center, located in Chicago’s Southside. The center is one of Cook County Health’s busiest.

“Dr. Tinfang exemplifies the Cook County Health mission,” said Dr. Claudia Fegan, Cook County Health’s Chief Medical Officer. “She had dedicated her career to helping her patients get and stay healthy, developing long-lasting, impactful relationships along the way.”    

Dr. Tinfang grew up in Cameroon. After graduating high school in 1990, she was awarded a scholarship to study medicine in Germany.

“I always wanted to help people and make them feel better,” Dr. Tinfang said. “I grew up in an environment where the healthcare system was underdeveloped. That experience inspired me to try and make a difference.”

After finishing medical school, Dr. Tinfang chose to become a family medicine physician after seeing she could impact the health and lives of people at all ages, especially in underserved communities. She joined Cook County Health in 2009.

“The best part of being a doctor is making people feel better, but I also love getting to teach people about disease prevention,” she said.

She added that her passion is driven by the bonds she builds with her patients over the course of their lives and the enjoyment she receives in keeping them healthy and well.

Dr. Tinfang’s work in preventive care includes federally supported projects focused on blood pressure management, including an ongoing project sponsored by the American College of Preventive Medicine in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients were provided with blood pressure monitors, received instruction on self-measuring blood pressure techniques, and education on how to improve their blood pressure through lifestyle modification and adherence to medical management.