was an American cardiothoracic (heart and lung) surgeon practicing in New York City who was an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient[1][2] in 2008.
He was selected to San Francisco’s premiere public college preparatory Lowell High School, where he graduated in the top 1% of his class with Scroll Honorary distinction and achieved the highest scores for the advanced placement examinations in biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus.
He was then selected in an equally competitive and highly sought-after cardiothoracic surgery training program for the next two years also at New York Hospital—Cornell University Medical Center under the direction of O. Wayne Isom, M.D.
During his 20-year tenure at Cornell, he published over 45 peer-reviewed scientific papers, presented findings in numerous local, national, and international medical conferences, served as a frequent lecturer and visiting professor in addition to have developed a large clinical practice that is one of the busiest (400 to 625 major cases per year) in the New York metropolitan area.
In 2009, Ko was recruited to form the new Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and became its chairman at the St. Vincent Hospital Manhattan, a major teaching affiliate of New York Medical College where he is appointed Professor of Surgery The goal was to build a world-class cardiovascular center with the latest techniques and technology to serve the residents in the five boroughs of New York City.
He served on the board of directors for eight years, and then acted as the treasurer, vice-president, and the president of the Chinese American Medical Society with over 1200 physician members.
He currently serves on the board of directors for the American Cancer Society—East Asian Unit based in Flushing, Queens Borough of New York City.
The Unit serves as a community resource for education, healthcare referral, counseling, and cancer support groups.
He led the Downstate Chinese American medical students to have the first free flu vaccine program in Brooklyn Chinatown in 2007 and now is an annual event.