Dr. Sofia Aksentijevich
Welcome to my website and for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself to you.
Although born in Syracuse, New York, I grew up in Brussels, Belgium, where I graduated from the Medical School at the Catholic University of Louvain in 1988. Shortly after graduation, I received a research training award in the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIAMS-NIH)) in Bethesda, Maryland. This research experience deepened a growing interest, already sparked in medical school, for the field of rheumatology. My internal medicine internship was attended at the University of Illinois Medical Center and internal medicine residency at Northwestern University’s Evanston Hospital. I subsequently completed a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where I later stayed on faculty as an instructor in clinical medicine for an additional 2 years. After moving to the north suburbs, I left University of Chicago, and have been in private practice since 2003. I live in the north suburbs with my husband and 3 children. French is my native language, and I also speak Serbian, which I learned many years ago as a child during family trips to the former Yugoslavia.
I am board certified in internal medicine since 1993 and rheumatology since 1996. My rheumatology practice is dedicated to the care of patients with all types of arthritis, autoimmune diseases and pain disorders, including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, fibromyalgia, gout, sport and overuse injuries such as tendonitis and bursitis, and osteoporosis.
My practice philosophy emphasizes patient and family education. Providing information to the patients is essential, enabling them to make informed decisions and be active participants in developing the best treatment strategies. This process is especially important, considering the explosion of therapeutic options available in the last decade, with the advent of biologic therapies for many rheumatology conditions.
I feel so fortunate that patients can benefit from my practice location in the Corporate Woods of Vernon Hills, where I share office with Adult and Pediatrics Orthopedics, offering patients easy access to a state of the art facility, including on-site X-ray and open MRI, Physical therapy, and a health and fitness center. I have myself a particular interest in musculoskeletal ultrasound as a noninvasive method of diagnosing a variety of rheumatologic conditions. New therapies are continuously changing the field of rheumatology and I find tremendous reward in being able to help people have more productive and healthier lives.
I look forward to meeting you.
