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Catherine Choi, MD is an Interventional Pain Management Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician. She studied
at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, IL and went on to West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL
for her internship in Internal Medicine completing her physical medicine and rehabilitation training at Schwab
Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, IL. Enjoying working with her hands and procedural techniques as well as facing the
challenges of chronic pain management and chronic illness, she furthered her training at the University of Chicago
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care completing a fellowship in Interventional Pain Management. Since
completion of her training, she has worked both briefly in private practice settings and recently completed four and half
years working for a larger semi academic institution tasked with creating a chronic pain program. While she learned much
medicine through all of her training and employment opportunities, she intentionally had shied away from any business
matters with the determination of leaving those decisions to the "business folks." Growing as a physician and leader
however, she learned that these two subjects "business and medicine" are inherently married and in order to practice
medicine to the fullest potential, she would have to study business as well. This fact particularly rang true when she
attempted to grow and expand this chronic pain program in a business driven environment. She recognized the growing
trend of physician/practitioner burn out in various specialties and hopes the PCEO education may provide further
insight as to tangible methods to counter this in the business oriented environment medicine has become. Humbly, she
presents for this course to immerse in furthering education and physician empowerment with like minded colleagues.
Catherine has lived in Chicago for most of her life and is happily married with two young and energetic boys. She was the
middle of two sisters, the younger of which had a chronic illness and recently passed away in late 2016. Exposure to
chronic illness in a close family member has gifted Catherine with the additional insight into the shortcomings of
medicine and business and her personal mission is to strive to continue to educate herself further to become a better
physician. Her passion is teaching and she hopes that her life work will one day help to make a deep impact to both
patients and providers. She has made the difficult decision to leave her hometown Chicago to accept a new position in
the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Here, working again in a private practice setting, she hopes to be able to utilize her education
through the PCEO program to strengthen her role as a physician and leader.
Her personal interests include all things crafty (she likes to work with her hands and create) such as cooking, baking,
knitting, sewing in addition to running, yoga and event planning. A successful weekend always ends with a bustling home
of close friends and family enjoying fellowship and good food.