Ai Mukai, MD
Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Interventional Spine & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
Ai Mukai, MD is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician or physiatrist.
She completed a fellowship focusing on advanced interventional pain procedures, resulting in a board certification in pain medicine. Dr. Mukai focuses on non-surgical musculoskeletal and spine care using conservative modalities such as physical therapy and image guided injections. She also performs electrodiagnostic studies to diagnose nerve and muscle conditions that can cause pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling. Dr. Mukai has been named by her peers to the Texas Super Doctors Rising Stars list and made the Super Doctors list for 2020. She’s also been recognized by local physicians as a 2021 Austin Monthly Top Doctor.
She has also been named “America’s Top Physicians” since 2012, vitals.com compassionate doctor recognition and patient’s choice award and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare since 2006.
She has presented at national conferences and authored book chapters and articles. Dr. Mukai has served as one of twelve voting members of the Board of Governors of her national association, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). She is also an affiliate faculty member for the University of Texas Austin Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency program and has resident physicians rotating with her throughout the year. Dr. Mukai currently serves on the Editorial Board for SpineUniverse, an online resource of peer-reviewed articles related to spine and neck disorders.
After obtaining her bachelor degree in psychology from Barnard College of Columbia University, she attended medical school at Penn State University. Dr. Mukai completed her physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at Northwestern University’s Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (rated number one in the country on US News & World Report), earning numerous academic and leadership awards. Her pain medicine fellowship at the University of California Los Angeles focused on advanced training in non-surgical spine care and interventional procedures, including implantable devices. Her more recent interest include regenerative medicine including Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy.
In her free time, Dr. Mukai enjoys spending time with her family, mentoring and pursuing research, as well as sketching and cooking.
Meet Charisse Buchert, NP
Nurse Practitioner for Dr. Ai Mukai
Charisse Buchert, NP works closely with Dr. Mukai to provide the best quality care in the most efficient way possible. Charisse brings over 18 years of experience as a registered nurse and 8 years as an advanced practice nurse. She completed rigorous curriculum and obtained a Master’s Project on therapeutic pain assessment. Having Charisse allows Dr. Mukai to accommodate patients in pain as soon as possible.
- Undergraduate Education:
- Barnard College of Columbia University, New York City, NY
- Medical School:
- Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
- Residency:
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, IL
- Fellowship:
- Pain Medicine, University of California Los Angeles
- Board Certified:
- American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
REVIEWS