“ I REALIZED THAT YOU MUST GO FOR
WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT PEOPLE
PREDICT THE FUTURE TO BE.”
to believe that people who think
they know what they want to do
should go to that place and see the
work being done, and to get a feel
for the field. in their fields, and position them-
selves to collaborate with adminis-
trators in transforming health care
delivery. The course will be available
in late spring.
SHE DIDN’T LISTEN TO NAYSAYERS
WHEN PICKING HER SPECIALTY.
“Back in medical school, I went
after what I loved,” she says. “It was
like solving a mystery to me, being
able to look at a picture and come up
with a diagnosis based upon what I
was seeing. When I was in medical
school, a lot of people would say,
‘Oh, don’t go into interventional
radiology, there are no jobs in that.’
I realized that you must go for what
you want, not what people predict
the future to be.” SHE HAS STARTED TWO BANDS AND
CHOREOGRAPHED A MUSICAL.
Her music teacher was instru-
mental in her growth, she says. She
learned to be brave when perform-
ing on stage, which improved her
confidence. “My junior year, I cho-
reographed The Wizard of Oz, and
I was in five a cappella groups. It
helped me express myself.” Now her
whole family sings. Koh started two
bands — Dangerous New Hive and
No Stories to Tell — with her hus-
band and extended family. Usually
people get together and they eat, play
cards, watch TV. We do all that and
sing,” says Koh.
SHE PIONEERED THE LOCAL USE
OF A NEW PROCEDURE IN
INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY.
After medical school and residen-
cy, she opened three practices in the
greater New York City region. She
became the first doctor in the area to
use Ellipsys, a new minimally-inva-
sive catheter-based system approved
for use on patients with kidney
failure, in a particular vascular pro-
cedure. Using Ellipsys, the formerly
risky surgery can now be performed
in one day in her surgical center,
and the patient leaves with just a
Band-Aid. “I mean, it’s remarkable,”
says Koh. “They can recover from
the procedure in about an hour and
go about their day.”
HER DREAM TO HAVE HER OWN
PHYSICIAN FORUM ON LEADERSHIP
IS BECOMING A REALITY.
Koh has developed LEAD
Physician, an online platform
designed to teach doctors around the
globe how to become better leaders
HER FAMILY LIKES TO TRAVEL THE
WORLD.
Koh loves to ski, golf, go to
musicals and travel with her family.
She has two daughters, ages 17 and
15; their latest trips together have
been to Hawaii, Korea and Taiwan,
of which her husband, who is also
a doctor, is a native.
SHE COACHES PEOPLE ON LIVING
LIFE TO THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL.
Koh is a life coach who con-
sults on human performance and
success. She helps clients handle
issues about relationships, time,
freedom, making money and more.
“I can really look back on my life
and see what has held me back,”
she says. “Everyone really has infi-
nite potential. Be brave and go for
it, have passion and want it, see it in
your mind first, and then strategize
on how to make it happen.” ■
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE SPRING 2020
13