Double-board certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine specialist, Dr. Pontinen is one of the co-founders of MAPS – Midwest Anesthesia Pain Specialists in Chicago, Des Plaines, Franklin Park, Hazel Crest, and Woodridge, Illinois. Furthermore, he is on staff at both Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, IL and AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. After the completion of his medical degree at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in 2008, Dr. Pontinen completed a general surgery internship at Albert Einstein Medical Center (2008 – 2010), followed by a residency in anesthesiology (2010 – 2013) and pain management fellowship (2013 – 2014) conducted at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to medical school, Dr. Pontinen completed a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and Advertising at the University of St Thomas in St. Paul, MN (2003).