Tribute: The Late Dr. Wilson Ko The Late Dr. Wilson Ko: Tribute

Tribute to Dr. Wilson Ko

I feel honored to write this tribute to Dr. Wilson Ko -- a teacher, colleague, doctor, scholar, educational administrator, father, husband, son, and friend to many. From whatever vantage position we knew him, Wilson stood out as someone special.

The very first time Wilson and I met, he had just completed his cardiothoracic fellowship in Weill Cornell Presbyterian Hospital. His visionary and charismatic leadership qualities were almost immediately apparent to me, and we seemed to share the same passion and vision for the Chinese community. This very first encounter back in 1996 marked the start of our scholarly collaboration and long-standing friendship.

Wilson was passionate about improving the welfare of the Chinese community through the treatment of cardiac diseases. By then, there were only very few Chinese cardiothoracic surgeons; however, Wilson was committed to changing that. He was passionate about educating local physicians and training them on open heart surgery just so cardiac diseases would no longer be a threat to the continuity of the Chinese community. He touched many souls, and I, personally, joined medical Cornell Hospital as a result of his influence.

Wilson's passion for his homeland was admirable; he did not lose love for his country and his people despite the fact that he had lived in America since he was five. In 1996, we organized a trip to Guangzhou as visiting professors, where Wilson, through his gift of a visionary spirit and innovative thinking, operated on multiple high-profile patients and provided technical training to local physicians on open heart surgery. One of the many patients that Wilson operated on was Mr. Wong, who suffered from severe coronary heart disease and needed open heart surgery. Many physicians were unwilling to perform the operation owing to the high risk involved, but...

Wong's life.
Wilson's tenacity and willingness to try even when the chances were extremely slim made him be viewed by many as an agent of change and a transformational leader passionate about improving the welfare and well-being of the Chinese community. For this reason, he was chosen to serve in various influential positions including as the Director of Cardiothoracic New York Hospital Queens, as the Chairman at Downstate Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital, as CAMS President, President of China AIDS Fund, and Vice Chairman of the National Council of Asian Pacific Islanders Physicians. He was committed to research geared at improving the health status of his community -- one of his research studies, which documented trends in surgical angioplasty in the U.S., was published by the Journal of Circulation. His passion and will did not stop even after he was diagnosed with lung cancer -- he still held on to his vision, dedicated to research, and would at times call me at 3 a.m. to discuss various surgeries. Having observed Wilson's qualities, former President of the American Heart Association, Dr. Richard Stein, once praised him for his passion to help the community and his skill in surgery. His dedication to the welfare of the community was crowned when he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The only legacy that will preserve Wilson's memory, I believe, is continuing his vision of improving the welfare and health statuses of our respective communities.

Besides his devotion to work and the health sector, Wilson was a family man, always finding time for them in his busy schedule. Having travelled numerous times with him, it was difficult not to notice the love he had for his family. He was keen to stay in constant contact with them, never keeping them far away from his thoughts, and always ensuring that he returned with a little gift for…