Peter Chopivsky was born in Chicago in 1952 and raised in Central Illinois, the son of a family physician.  He received his degree in biology at Princeton, and then attended medical school at George Washington University.  While a student at The George Washington University School of Medicine he frequented Leesburg, attracted to the town by its rich history and its quaintness.  After he wrapped up his medical education at GW, Dr. Chopivsky did his residency at UCLA, where he taught in the medical school.

Eventually the pull of Leesburg brought him eastward.  Dr. Chopivsky and his growing family settled in Leesburg in 1990.  He started a solo family practice, determined to practice modern medicine delivered the old-fashioned way.  Dr. Chopivsky was a man dedicated to service to others.  As a physician with his own practice, he provided primary medical care for many of the children in the Leesburg community, taking the time to talk to them during appointments, asking about what was happening in their lives.  He made every person that entered his office feel special.  Beyond his own practice, he was committed to the Leesburg community, volunteering his time at the Loudoun Free Clinic and as a medical provider at Graydon Manor.  He served on the board of the Harrison-Conrad Memorial Trust, which offers financial assistance for the medical care of needy children with disabilities in Loudoun County.  He also was active in the medical communities of George Washington University and the University of Virginia by hosting and providing clinical rotations for those medical students who had an interest in family practice.  He lectured on various artists and how their respective medical conditions shaped their works in a series called Medicine and the Arts.  On top of his contributions to the Leesburg medical community and the arts, he was an avid supporter of - and coach with - the Central Loudoun Youth Basketball League.  Dr. Chopivsky lived by the mantra that you must appreciate the events and challenges of every day and that you find true success in helping and serving others along the way.

Dr. Peter Chopivsky passed away in April 2010 after an heroic battle with pancreatic cancer.  The Dr. Peter Chopivsky Memorial Scholarships, since 2011, have been awarded to young men and women of Leesburg that exemplify the same commitment to serving others that Dr. Chopivsky lived every day.