Bio
Dr. Ara Ko is a trauma surgeon and intensivist who completed her surgical critical care fellowship at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Born in Korea and raised in Southern California, Dr. Ko attended the University of California, Los Angeles receiving her bachelor of arts degree in religious studies. With an interest in global health and underserved communities, she went on to earn her combined medical degree and masters in public health at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. She returned to Los Angeles for her general surgery training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she also spent time publishing on topics such as improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury, venous thromboembolism prevention, quality improvement and trauma workflow, and pain assessment and treatment in the trauma population. Her research has been recognized both regionally and nationally, receiving awards by organizations including the American College of Surgeons Southern California Committee on Trauma and the High Value Practice Academic Alliance National Research and Education Conference. Dr. Ko is an associate member of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and she enjoys mentoring the next generation of physicians, being selected for outstanding student teaching awards 3 years consecutively.
