On Friday, February 6, the Concord Academy community gathered to listen to an assembly by Dr. Naomi Ko, CA ’91, and mother of Eytan Ko ’26.
Dr. Ko started off talking about her childhood and adolescence. Living her whole life in the U.S., speaking English as a child of immigrant parents from Taiwan, she mentioned how she had a hard time truly belonging. How the world around her treated her identity — calling her names such as “banana,” meaning white on the inside and yellow on the outside — did not help with her feelings of unease.
Dr. Ko continued to be conscious of not belonging even after graduating from CA and Barnard College as a pre-law student majoring in American Studies. This continued even as working as a paralegal at a well-known law firm: she knew that law school was not where she wanted to be. Learning about clinical procedures from a friend at a local clinic made her realize that she wanted to get involved in the medical field. While it was difficult for her to suddenly switch the trajectory of her education, she successfully became a doctor through obtaining an MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
What fueled Dr. Ko’s career concentration in oncology, and specifically breast cancer, was witnessing her grandmother navigate through cancer and her experience working in the Boston Medical Center (BMC). At BMC, whose motto is “Exceptional Care, Without Exception,” she encountered many patients from underserved backgrounds — most of whom were women, diagnosed with breast cancer but unable to prioritize treatment due to their background. Dr. Ko also noted that black and brown women face a 40% higher mortality rate from breast cancer compared to white women due to sociological differences. She noted that geographical patterns also contribute to this phenomenon, comparing the difference in patient demographics, neighborhoods surrounding BMC and those surrounding Dana-Farber, just two miles apart but drastically different racially and socioeconomically.
Thus, Dr. Ko’s career spans both the medical and sociological aspects of cancer treatment. While serving as a medical oncologist at New York University Langone, she is simultaneously authoring and as the “Seeing the Unseen” at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, a text highlighting the journey of breast cancer diagnoses and treatment for women from marginalized backgrounds. Her career goal consists of ensuring that every woman gets equal access to breast cancer treatment, regardless of her background
All in all, Dr. Ko’s speech at the assembly was very personal and thus heartfelt and genuine. From her ability to break down complex topics such as medical disparities into smaller and understandable pieces to her goal of equal treatment for everyone, she touched the hearts of many students, especially those with family members diagnosed with breast cancer. It was an honor to wrap up our week with the insight and wisdom of Dr. Ko.