For University of Florida Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow Dr. Joon Choi, the tragic events of 9/11 played a significant role in his decision to serve his country as a physician. The Long Island, New York native was a senior in college at the time of this attack on our nation and decided to join the United States Army on a medical scholarship in 2005.
After receiving his medical degree at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine, Dr. Choi completed a pediatric internship and residency at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland. He served eight years on active duty in the United States Army including time at Fort Bragg in North Carolina as a pediatrician and Fort Campbell in Kentucky as a unit doctor. He was selected to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and 2016 as part of the military’s PROFIS program, which supplies critical personnel when a unit is on a combat or humanitarian mission.
He recalls caring for several hundred American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan as eye-opening and informative. Providing trauma care during missions helped him to grow both as a doctor and a person.
Dr. Choi feels the challenges of providing medical care in a war zone with limited resources taught him how to think outside of the box and step outside his comfort zone. That experience led him to pursue pediatric emergency medicine.
His time overseas also keeps him grounded and grateful for the resources available at the University of Florida. “I appreciate what I have practicing medicine in the United States and at an institution like UF. When an emergency arises, I have access to critical labs, diagnostics and specialists and I am surrounded by wonderful colleagues.”
When he and his wife, a pediatric neurologist who also grew up in the northeast, accepted positions at University of Florida, they were uncertain how they would feel about the change in environment and climate. Both are immensely grateful for the “wonderful, warm and welcoming community” of Gainesville, especially as they started their family this year.
As a new father, Veterans Day now takes on even greater meaning. “My service was a meaningful and life changing part of my past. Today I still try to serve my community and my neighbors the best way that I can. I hope to instill those values in my son as he gets older,” Dr. Choi says. “I think of Veterans Day as a day to honor the service of the people that I served with and remind myself of how grateful I am for their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families.”
By Jennifer Kennedy.