Portrayed by Rachel DiPillo

Dr. Sarah Reese is a recent medical school graduate and psychiatry resident. The character was not introduced in the backdoor pilot on Chicago Fire.

In season 1 she was a final year medical student, still undecided about which specialty to choose. During her rotation in the ED, she decided against emergency medicine after a patient she had diagnosed chose to go against medical advice, leaving her discouraged.^[23] She chose pathology, but soon realized that she did not want to spend the rest of her training in a lab without any contact with patients, and even fainted from the stress.^[24] However, as her match was legally binding it meant that she would be left without a job if she rejected Chicago Med's offer. She worked as a barista until the head of psychiatry, Dr. Charles, offered her a spot in his department. She discovers that she enjoys interacting with patients and learning about the psychological side of medicine, although it leads her to subconsciously "shrink" her own colleagues, much to the nurses' amusement.^[11] Season 2 sees the character undergo further development as a full-fledged doctor and resident. At times she has let her emotions get in the way and Dr. Charles has had to step in to caution her. She has difficulty dealing with death and the experience of having to call time of death on a patient gets to her. During a night shift she had to make the call three times in a row, leading to her breaking down into tears at the end of the shift.^[14]

Her mother is a litigation attorney, implied to be a career woman who loves Sarah but is emotionally distant from her.^[15] During the season 1 finale, Sarah's mother does not attend her graduation from medical school but sends her money. She is a main cast member from season one until season four and appears for the final time in the season four premiere "Be My Better Half". This episode takes place after she found out that Doctor Charles discovered that her father was suspected to be a serial killer, causing a fallout between them. She decided to leave Chicago Med and joined Baylor, as she said she could no longer trust Dr. Charles when he kept information about her father from her.

Dr. Connor Rhodes

Portrayed by Colin Donnell

Dr. Connor Rhodes is a cardiothoracic surgery fellow. The character was not introduced in the backdoor pilot aired on Chicago Fire, as Colin Donnell only joined the cast as a series regular when Chicago Med was picked up.^[16]

Dr. Rhodes attended Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico and spent a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia following his residency.^[3] He was initially a trauma surgery fellow but switched to cardiothoracic surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Downey. Since Dr. Downey's death he has been mentored by Dr. Latham, with whom he has a difficult relationship.

Dr. Rhodes comes from a wealthy background and was written as a "local boy" who left Chicago to escape his family before returning many years later. His background was a source of embarrassment and he tried to hide it from his colleagues in the ED for some time, although they came to accept him as one of them and would good-naturedly tease him whenever his name appears in a lifestyle magazine. His relationship with his family is complicated and it deteriorated further after his mother's suicide. His father was against Connor's choosing medicine over the family business and would repeatedly undermine and discourage him to the point where father and son are barely on speaking terms.^[17] In the episode "Natural History" his sister Claire resorts to calling him at work and then confronting him in person to call him out on abandoning her in his attempt to get away from their father years ago. At the end of the episode he reluctantly visits her at the family business to take her to dinner, much to her delight.

He was in a relationship with attending Dr. Samantha "Sam" Zanetti but they break up in the episode "Saint".^[18] In season 2 he met epidemiologist Dr. Robin Charles at the hospital cafeteria^[13] and they become friends, although it initially caused some awkwardness once he found out that she was Dr. Daniel Charles' daughter. They began cohabiting in the episode "Win Loss".^[7] Robin develops health problems that cause difficulties in their relationship; she begins behaving erratically, and it's discovered that she has a brain tumor. The tumor is successfully removed, but the relationship remains strained throughout her recovery. In the episode "Ties That Bind", Robin broke up with Rhodes by leaving a letter on the table for him to read. He confronted Dr. Charles on the break up and vowed that he will find her to make the relationship work. However, Dr. Charles said that Robin had wanted to get treatment for her condition in peace.

In Season 3, Rhodes often clashes with Dr. Ava Bekker, a doctor from South Africa who Dr. Latham assigned him to work with. The two have a "love-hate" relationship due to their different medical opinions and personalities. At the end of the episode "Folie à Deux" they are seen kissing one another. In “Born This Way”, Rhodes is in the kitchen making breakfast as Ava puts on her clothes (implying that they had a one night stand). Rhodes seems to want to pursue the relationship, but Bekker tells him that it was a one-time thing. However, in Season 4 they appear to be giving the relationship a try.

In Season 4, Rhodes is on his way to the Mayo Clinic when he is offered the opportunity to run Med's newly-developing hybrid operating room in the hospital's emergency department, a job which he takes.

Dr. Ethan Choi

Portrayed by Brian Tee

LCDR Dr. Ethan Choi, USNR, is a resident in the Emergency Department and a former active duty United States Navy officer. Like Dr. Rhodes, the character was not in the backdoor pilot and only introduced when Chicago Med was picked up. He is generally reserved and reticent, which Dr. Charles attributes to his military background.^[17] His aloof and detached exterior sometimes intimidates the medical students and junior residents under him, but he has shown to be sympathetic and supportive with them, as well as his other coworkers and the CFD paramedics. He is of Korean descent^[19] (like actor Brian Tee) and once implied that he has been subjected to racism during his childhood, as he grew up in a neighborhood where there were "not many families with the last name Choi".^[20][21]

Dr. Choi is well-regarded by his colleagues in the ED. Beginning in season 2 he takes over Dr. Halstead as Chief Resident^[21] and has an unforgettable first day, much to everyone's amusement as they were used to seeing him calm and in control. He initially tries to run his own system but quickly realizes that Maggie and the nurses are actually the ones in charge. After his rocky start, he returned to his usual dependable self.

A second generation Navy veteran,^[15] Dr. Choi switched to the reserves^[17] to begin his residency and is revealed to be suffering from PTSD. He had been coping despite suffering from insomnia^[22] and nightmares and initially resisted treatment, as he was still functional at work. Eventually he seeks proper treatment after breaking down in Dr. Charles' office, but used his work as an excuse to put off subsequent counselling sessions.^[5] After a series of emotional near-breakdowns and a heated confrontation with a patient's father, he resumes counselling and joins a support group at the VA.^[22] He adopts a parrot who refuses to fly, due to trauma from being verbally abused and being cooped up in a hoarder's house for months.^[23] and Dr. Choi also volunteers at the zoo as part of his therapy.^[14] He has only ever discussed his military service with fellow veterans, as seen in the Chicago P.D. episode "Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb", when he has drinks with former Army Rangers and combat veterans Detective Jay Halstead (Dr. Halstead's brother) and CPD tech analyst Greg "Mouse" Gurwitch at Molly's.^[46] Despite his cool and collected demeanor, it is apparent that he has been deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed overseas as well as in the ED. He has a notebook in which he writes down the name, date and time of death and description of every patient who has died on his watch.^[11]

He lived with his girlfriend Dr. Vicky Glass (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), who works at the nearby VA hospital and is a fellow Navy veteran. She is one of the few people he has confided in about his PTSD.^[15]

At the beginning of Season 3, Dr. Choi is seen to be in a relationship with ED nurse April Sexton, though they are keeping the relationship quiet at work. This is due to April's belief that she will be viewed negatively if her co-workers knew of the relationship. However, they make the relationship public after April realizes that no one would look down on her or assume she would receive special treatment because she is dating an ED doctor. Dr. Choi and April clash over how best to handle the troubles of his estranged sister Emily, and at the end of Season 3 she breaks up with him because of this.

Sharon Goodwin

Portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson

Sharon Goodwin (née McGee),^[13] RN, MPH, MBA^[19] is the Chief of Services and oversees the day-to-day operations of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. A former OR nurse,^[24] she is generally the final authority when it comes to medico-legal issues, professional ethics and, when necessary, disciplining.

Sharon was happily married to Bert. He had been trying to persuade her to retire and entice her with exotic locations to travel to. In the episode "Intervention" they celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. However, Bert leaves her in the season 1 finale. The first several episodes of season 2 sees her dealing with the emotional fallout and clearing out his belongings from their house. In the episode "Extreme Measures" she initiates divorce proceedings and tells the attorney that she and her husband were past reconciliation. Her first love had been photojournalist Reggie Dixon when she was an eighteen-year-old high school graduate but she chose to attend college rather than travel the world with him on his assignments.^[13] Bert did not appear on-screen until he brought his new lady-friend to the hospital in the season 2 episode, "Ctrl Alt".

Dr. Daniel Charles

Portrayed by Oliver Platt

Dr. Daniel Charles is the Chief of Psychiatry at Chicago Med. Outside of psychiatry, he is sometimes called in to help with difficult patients or speak to family members. The character has also crossed over to Chicago P.D. whenever Voight's team are dealing with a suspect or victim suffering from a psychiatric disorder which renders them dangerous and unpredictable. He has also been mentioned several times as the "shrink" Voight prefers to send his detectives to when they need counselling.

A well-respected veteran psychiatrist at Chicago Med, Dr. Charles combines his human touch with instinct and intuition to diagnose patients. The ED physicians would turn to him for a second opinion. Occasionally he has had to call out doctors in the ED on becoming too personally involved or invested in patients.^[19][5][13]

He has been married and divorced at least three times. His third wife is from Spain.^[3] One of his daughters Robin works at Chicago Med as an epidemiologist^[13] and is in a relationship with Dr. Rhodes. In the season 2 finale, he is shot after a patient waited a long time to be seen and didn’t get the care he needed.

Maggie Lockwood

Portrayed by Marlyne Barrett

Maggie Lockwood is the charge nurse of the Emergency Department and runs a tight shift with a firm hand and a quick-witted sense of humor. She has no qualms about calling out the doctors when needed and they generally defer to her for guidance during a chaotic shift ("Baghdad" mode). She is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician.

Underneath her no-nonsense exterior, Maggie is compassionate and protective of her nurses and the other doctors and staff on her shift, often looking out for them as well. In season 1 she and April made sure the then-pregnant Dr. Manning did not overwork and was her "birthing partner". She also looks out for rookie resident Dr. Reese and frequently reminds her to "go home" or "get some sleep". The doctors sometimes use her as a "sounding board" and vent to her after a difficult shift.

In the episode "Natural History", it is revealed that she comes from a large and close-knit extended family and has a sister, Denise who was assigned male at birth, had gender confirmation surgery and moved to Dallas, Texas.

As seen in "Be My Better Half", Maggie is fluent in American Sign Language, enough to understand and translate for a deaf patient.

Dr. Ava Bekker

Portrayed by Norma Kuhling

Dr. Ava Bekker is a cardiothoracic surgeon from South Africa with whom Dr. Rhodes begins to butt heads with on professional boundaries.

In season 4, Ava becomes an attending in the CT department.

Recurring

Family members

• Noah Sexton (Roland Buck III) is an emergency medicine resident and younger brother of April. It is implied in a conversation Severide had with April that Noah is the "golden boy" of the family who got to go to medical school with his sister's financial assistance despite April being the more academically inclined of the siblings. He has a torrid start to his rotation at Chicago Med and is quickly intimidated after following the residents on shift at the Emergency Department. He resorts to using Reese's ideas to earn Dr. Choi's favor but she finds out about it and gives him a cold shoulder.
• Cornelius Rhodes (D. W. Moffett) is the father of Dr. Connor Rhodes. He runs the family business Dolen Rhodes, a high-end department store started by his father. His wife Elizabeth died at some point before the pilot. As the only son and heir to the family fortune, Connor was expected to follow his father into the family business but eschews it for medicine. Elizabeth's death and Connor's choice to go into medicine lead to a bitter estrangement between father and son.
• Claire Rhodes (Christina Brucato) is the sister of Connor.
• Robin Charles (Mekia Cox): Dr. Charles' daughter, also a doctor, who worked as epidemiologist in the Med during season 2 and had a relationship with Dr. Rhodes. She left to be with her mother in Minneapolis in season 3, but returned in season 4 episode "We Hold These Truths".
• Helen Manning (Annie Potts) is the mother-in-law of Dr. Natalie Manning.
• Emily Choi (Arden Cho) is the sister of Dr. Ethan Choi. Unlike her brother, Emily is much more free-spirited but her reckless behavior has landed her into trouble with alcohol and drugs. Dr. Choi clashes with his girlfriend April over how to deal with Emily. In season 4 she starts dating Bernard Kim (C. S. Lee), a much older man whom she had met at her AA meeting.
• Robert Haywood (Michael Gill) is a professor and the father of Dr. Sarah Reese.
• Patrick "Pat" Halstead (Louis Herthum) is the late father of Dr. Will Halstead and Detective Jay Halstead. He first appeared in the Season 2 episode "Generation Gap" when Jay calls Will from their childhood house about Pat's heart condition. Pat was later sent for open heart surgery at the end of the episode. According to the brothers, Pat disapproved of their career choices, leading to their estrangement for many years. Will finally reconciled with him at the end of "Generation Gap". Pat died in the crossover episode "When to Let Go" of complications caused by smoke inhalation from the fire.

Gaffney Chicago Medical Center staff and personnel

Recurring

• Dr. Samuel Abrams (Brennan Brown) is an attending neurosurgeon. He is called in when a patient admitted into the ED requires neuro-surgery or consult and is known for his blunt, pessimistic outlook.
• Dr. Samantha "Sam" Zanetti (Julie Berman) is an attending trauma surgeon. She befriended Dr. Rhodes, a trauma surgery fellow, and they started dating. However they break up as his fellowship was consuming more of his time and she tells him that she would not make him choose between her or his mentor Dr. Downey.
• Dr. Kendra Perrington (Karen Aldridge) is an attending and critical care specialist. She was one of several characters who moved over to Chicago Med after appearing on Chicago Fire as a recurring character.
• Joey Thomas (Peter Mark Kendall) is a lab tech in pathology ("the basement") and boyfriend of Dr. Sarah Reese. He initially convinces her to go into pathology and was disappointed when she changes her mind. They initially stop seeing each other for a while as they had nothing in common to talk about. They rekindle their relationship after Dr. Reese realizes that she should make the first move to get to know Joey's interests outside of work.
• Jeff Clarke (Jeff Hephner) is a medical student currently on rotation at Chicago Med. He was previously in the United States Marine Corps and then a Lieutenant in the Chicago Fire Department. An injury on the job forced him to change careers and he went back to school. At some point during his military service he met and befriended Dr. Manning's husband, who was also named Jeff. The character was reintroduced in a brief scene during the season 1 finale where he reveals that he is now divorced his wife Lisa.
• Dr. Nina Shore (Patti Murin) is a pathologist and the ex-girlfriend of Dr. Will Halstead.
• Dr. Isidore Latham (Ato Essandoh) is the new cardiothoracic surgeon brought in to replace the late Dr. Downey. He bluntly tells Dr. Rhodes at their very first meeting that the latter was not his first choice fellow and only obliged after being told to do so by the board. A devout practicing Orthodox Jew, he does not work on the Sabbath except in a medical emergency.^[25] Dr. Rhodes intensely disliked him for his bluntness and seemingly lack of tact but those characteristics are eventually explained by the fact that he was on the autism spectrum. However he appears to aware of the fact that his lack of social skills was the result of autism and seeks Dr. Charles' expert opinion on how to improve his social skills. He later, reluctantly, confides in Dr. Rhodes about his autism and the latter softens his approach and would take over "PR duties" (e.g. negotiating roster duties with scrub nurses) when necessary.
• Dr. Stanley Stohl (Eddie Jemison) is the Chief of Emergency Medicine^[20] who earned the nickname "The Troll" from the ED staff for his sarcastic tone and bluntness.
• Dr. Jason Wheeler (Jurgen Hooper) is an emergency medicine resident introduced in the season 2 premiere. He had a drinking problem, which was picked up on by several of his colleagues. In the episode "Monday Mourning" he commits suicide by walking off the roof of the hospital.^[26]
• Dr. Leah Bardovi (Shiri Aljadeff) is a new cardiothoracic resident working alongside Drs. Rhodes and Latham.
• Nurse Doris (Lorena Diaz) is an ED Nurse
• Nurse Dina (Amanda Marcheschi) is an ICU Nurse
• Dr. Maia Frisch (Emma Duncan) is a pediatric cardiologist in the hospital
• Peter Kalmick (Marc Grapey): A lawyer that represents the hospital's legal department and often buts heads with Goodwin and the doctors. His husband represented Sharon during her divorce (season 2, episode 5 "Extreme Measures").

Crossover characters

Chicago P.D.

• Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) is a Chicago Police Department detective from the Intelligence Unit, based at the 21st District.
• Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) is a fellow CPD detective and colleague of Erin Lindsay in the Intelligence Unit. He is also the brother of Dr. Will Halstead. The character generally appears on the show as part of an investigation into a patient. The brothers are close but had drifted apart as Jay still had some lingering bitterness over the fact that Will was not around when their mother was dying of cancer. A former Army Ranger, Jay is also friends Dr. Choi, having bonded over their shared combat experiences.^[27] Will once expressed regret that he was not around when Jay came home from his deployment and was in dire need of familial support.^[28]

Chicago Fire

• Paramedic in Charge Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) is a paramedic from Ambulance 61 based out of Firehouse 51. As a first responder she often crosses paths with the staff in the Emergency Department.
• Paramedic Allen Chout (Alex Weisman) is a paramedic in the CFD. He was previously at Ambulance 61 on temporary duty to cover for the lack of manpower.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund) a paramedic on Ambulance 61 and previously a firefighter on Truck 81 who leaves Chicago to go to Puerto Rico for relief work

References