Where Are They Now: Dr. In-Ae "Grace" Choi

When In-Ae “Grace” Choi, OD ‘18, was doing her clinicals at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University, she had another PCO/Salus alum Lindsey Barouh, OD ‘11, as a preceptor. 

Dr. Barouh made such an impression on her that when Dr. Choi was asked to be a preceptor herself for her employer, Northern New Jersey Eye Institute (NNJEI) in South Orange, New Jersey, she jumped at the chance.

And, she hopes to attract more PCO/Salus students as interns to her practice. .

“I learned so much from Dr. Barouh,” said Dr. Choi, who added that Joseph Cercone, OD ‘98, was also instrumental in her clinical instruction. “I know what I’d like to get out of the students as a preceptor and I know what the students should be getting out of the experience.”

Dr. Choi — a self-proclaimed Jersey Girl from New Providence, New Jersey, who completed her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in biological sciences  at Rutgers University  — added that she happily took on the role of preceptor because she wanted to give back to PCO/Salus and  aspires to be the role model Dr. Barouh has proven to be for her and other students.

For the past  years since graduation, Dr. Choi, one of five optometrists in the practice, manages patients two to four days per week, treating them for ocular diseases, and providing pre-and post-operative care for surgical patients. She also gives continuing education classes at the practice’s annual symposium.

“No matter what kind of training you may have, I think everyone comes out of school and as soon as they enter into the real work force, they have a lot of questions or maybe are not quite as confident,” said Dr. Choi. “The first year is always going to be the biggest struggle. But I think PCO/Salus does teach you to be able to overcome those struggles and fears.”

In addition, Dr. Choi said the resources at PCO/Salus and The Eye Institute (TEI) — whether it be relationships she built with mentors at externships or the clinical notes she has from TEI — can always be tapped if she needs them.

Fortunately, Dr. Choi had a little more than a year under her belt as a professional when the pandemic hit. But as an admitted optimist, she’s used the experience of the pandemic to learn and grow.

“The pandemic helped me reassess and remind myself why I started in this field in the first place — to help people with their vision and their health,” said Dr. Choi. “There were doctors who were hesitant to come back after the initial two-week lockdown for personal or health reasons. But I’m young and healthy and as long as there are patients who needed to be seen, I was willing to come in.”

She’s quite content in her current job and considers it an ideal situation for her to be in at this point in her career.

“I have been growing as an optometrist in the role I play here and with the fact that I’m taking on more responsibilities,” said Dr. Choi. “I just want to keep treating diseases and helping with whatever they need here.”

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