Discovery

At age 88, Charles Sinsabaugh, MD ‘51, says he has slowed down, although his leisure time remains anything but leisurely. Chief among his many interests is the health and growth of The Ohio State University Medical Center, particularly the Department of Psychiatry. For the past few years, Sinsabaugh and his wife, Barbara, have funded The Charles F. Sinsabaugh Chair in Psychiatry. The chair serves as an important recruitment and retention tool, and allows Ohio State’s Medical Center leaders to ensure that the department is able to continue high-quality care, training and research programs.

 

Dr. Sinsabaugh, a former family practice physician, says the decision to fund the chair in psychiatry was largely personal. His motives were professional, too. “The reason I’m interested in psychiatry is that I feel it’s an under-funded practice,” he says. By supporting a program that is often overlooked by funders, the couple felt as though their gift could make a real impact.   

 

Dr. Sinsabaugh first attended Ohio State in 1939. After a stint in the armed forces during World War II, he returned to graduate in 1947. He received his medical degree from Ohio State in 1951, which today remains a point of pride. In fact, Dr. Sinsabaugh says his thoughts never stray far from the scarlet and gray. “I maintain my contact with OSU Medical Center and the medical school, even today,” he says proudly.

 

Dr. Sinsabaugh says community involvement has always been an important part of his life. He was a member of the first board of directors of Ohio State’s Newark campus, and is a member of the Licking County Medical Society, Ohio State Medical Association and American Medical Association. He is past president of the Licking County Medical Society and is a life member of the OSU Medical Alumni Association. Dr. Sinsabaugh and a local dentist were responsible in the 1950s for the fluoridation of Newark drinking water.   

 

Dr. Sinsabaugh is an honorary staff member of Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark, where he was a member of the hospital staff from 1952 to 1987, serving as chief of staff from 1965 to 1967. He retired from his Newark family practice in 1987.  

 

Now into his third decade of retirement, Dr. Sinsabaugh enjoys hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits. He claims to do all things in moderation, though: “I still do a lot of things, but I just do a little bit of them.”