Chinyama Munakampe, MD - Beacon Medical Group Main Street

About Dr. Munakampe

For Dr. Chinyama Munakampe, honesty is key to providing excellent patient care. The first time she told a patient, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on” she says, the patient thanked her. “I thought, how could she say ‘thank you’ when I told her I don’t know exactly what’s going on? The patient later told me it was the first time someone in health care had been honest with her in a long time.” This was early in her career and that interaction has stayed with her since then.

Dr. Munakampe is always seeking accurate diagnoses and care to address unique health care issues experienced by each patient. She treats patients at every stage of life such as newborns, childbearing women, and the elderly, and takes care of diverse health concerns. Growing up in Zambia, Dr. Munakampe’s mother was a nurse and midwife, so she gained some early exposure to the medical field. In addition, she says, “My dad had a bad heart, and I often told him I would like to become a doctor so I could ‘fix’ him.” By the age of 7 or 8, her career choice was firm.

Dr. Munakampe studied at IU South Bend, and completed her doctorate at St. George’s University School of Medicine in the West Indies. Her work experience includes inpatient and nursing home services, including high-risk obstetric care – and she chose Beacon for its dedication to providing compassionate, quality health care, and its support of its physicians.

In her own words…

Who is or was the most influential person/role model in your life? My father. He let me know from an early age that I was worthy and could do anything if motivated enough.

What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? I was a CNA at St. Paul’s Retirement facility. I loved interacting with the residents and becoming a part of their daily lives.

What were your best/worst subjects in school growing up? I was really good in biology, and terrible at art. (I got kicked out of art class because I was that bad!)

If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased), who would it be and why? My father. I spent 15 years of my life with him before his passing and it was not nearly enough. I know he had more wisdom to impart.

In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? What are your hobbies, interests? I love spending time with my family—my medical education has been time consuming, as expected. I have missed some special moments in my nieces and nephews’ lives (who are the absolute joy of my life), so I’m making it a priority to spend time with them. I also love a good road trip, and I’m trying to get into healthy cooking