AUUA

Oliver S. Ko

Doctor of Urology at AUUA

Oliver S. Ko, MD

Dr. Oliver Ko is fellowship-trained urologist who is passionate about treating a broad range of urologic conditions with a particular interest in urologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery. He believes that the patient comes first; moreover, he is interested in achieving the best possible outcomes by implementing evidence-based medicine and involving patients in their care. 

Dr. Ko returns to the Valley after completing a fellowship in Robotic Urologic Oncology and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the prestigious University of Southern California Institute of Urology in Los Angeles where he was involved with numerous, complex robotic surgeries on the genitourinary tract for cancerous and benign reasons. 

Growing up in Phoenix, Dr. Ko went to the University of Arizona where he studied Physiology and History and graduated with Honors. He then attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH where he became interested in urology during his clinical rotations at the Cleveland Clinic. 

He then completed a six-year urology residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL where he trained with numerous world-renowned faculty. During his time there he trained in the whole spectrum of urology from simple office procedures to open, complex, multidisciplinary cancer surgeries. He also participated in quality improvement during his time there and co-authored over a dozen peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the field of urology. 

Outside of urology, Dr. Ko is an avid Wildcats basketball as well as Phoenix Suns fan. He also enjoys golf, swimming, good food, exploring new places, and is passionate about film.

Dr. Oliver S. Ko, MD
AUUA

Education, Publications & Experience

Oliver S. Ko, MD

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Education and Training

Fellow in Advanced Robotics and Laparoscopy and Clinical Instructor
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
2022 – 06/2023

Residency in Urology
McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
2016 – 2022

Doctor of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
2012 – 2016

Bachelor of Science in Physiology, Magna Cum Laude
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
2012

Honors and Awards

Exemplary Professionalism
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL – Medical student recognition of residents, fellows, and faculty demonstrating highest standard of professionalism.
2018

Dean’s Summer Research Grant
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH – Awarded to incoming second year medical students Interested in pursuing summer research.
2013

Wildcat Excellence Scholarship
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ – Merit-based full tuition scholarship.
2013

Institutional Service

Intravesical Gemcitabine Quality Improvement Project
Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL – Developing perioperative intravesical Gemcitabine protocol for bladder cancer patients.
2020 – 2021

Hospital Foley Catheter Insertion Algorithm
Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL – Worked on a catheter algorithm to improve care, mainly aimed at hospitalists and medicine services.
2020

Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Quality Initiative
Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL – Working on improving quality outcomes for NMIBC patients at Northwestern Medicine.
2019 – 2021

Video-based Feedback for the Improvement of Surgical Technique (VISTA) TURBT Collaborative
Northwestern University, Chicago IL – Working on video-based feedback to improve surgical skills for TURBT.
2019 – Present

Northwestern Medicine Prostate Cancer Quality Initiative
Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL – Working on data collection and infrastructure building to understand and improve care of prostate cancer at Northwestern Medicine.
2019 – 2021

House Staff and Nursing Communication Collaborative
Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL – Worked on establishing an effective communication protocol between nurses and residents to improve patient care.
2019 – 2020

Department of Urology Didactic Curriculum Committee
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL – Worked on redesigning the didactic curriculum based on resident feedback.
2019 – 2020

Department of Urology Residency Selection Committee
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL – Worked on residency recruitment and assisted with the residency selection process.
2019 – 2020

Participation in Professional Societies and Extramural Organizations

Chicago Urological Society, Member
Chicago, IL
2016 – 2022

American Urological Association Member
Linthicum, MD
2015 – Present

Case Western Reserve University Urology Interest Group, Co-Founder
Cleveland, OH
2013 – 2016

Invited Lectures

  1. “Supplements for BPH and What the Urologist Should Know”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, August 2020
  2. “Bladder Preservation for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, January 2020
  3. “Testis-Sparing Surgery for Pediatric Testicular Neoplasms”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, October 2019
  4. “Research Year Presentation: Usage Patterns of Radiation Following Prostate Cancer in an Academic Health System: What is Being Done?”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, July 2019
  5. “Introduction to Miniaturized PCNL for Stone Disease”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, February 2019
  6. “Cytoreductive Nephrectomy in the Era of Targeted Therapy”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, August 2018
  7. “Bladder Neck Management in the Pediatric Population: Techniques and Outcomes”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, April 2018
  8. “Fertility Considerations in Transgender Patients”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, November 2017
  9. “Suppurative Infections of the Kidney: Renal and Perinephric Abscesses”, Department of Urology Grand Rounds, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, July 2017

Publications and Scholarly Work

Peer-reviewed Original Investigations

  1. Pham MN, Ko OS, Reiping H, Vo AX, Tsai KP, Lai JD, Hudnall MT, Halpern JA, Meeks JJ, Benson J, Soares R, Kim R, Bilimoria KY, Stulberg JJ, Auffenberg GB. An evaluation of peer-rated surgical skill and its relationship with detrusor muscle sampling in transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Urology, Accepted July 2022.
  2. Hudnall MT, Desai AS, Tsai KP, Weiner AB, Vo AX, Ko OS, Jan S, Schaeffer EM, Kundu SD. It's all in the name: Does nomenclature for indolent prostate cancer impact management and anxiety? Cancer. 2021 Sep 15;127(18):3354-3360. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33621. Epub 2021 Jun 3. PMID: 34081322; PMCID: PMC8722476.
  3. Vo AX, Ko OS, Hofer MD, Kim RJ, Benson JS, Halpern JA, Auffenberg GB. Evaluation of Opioid Prescribing Patterns and Drivers of Variation Following Endoscopic Procedures for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Across an Integrated Academic Health System. Urology. 2021 Jul;153:132-138. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2020.10.079. Epub 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33482131.
  4. Desai AS, Sagar V, Lysy B, Weiner AB, Ko OS, Driscoll C, Rodriguez Y, Vatapalli R, Unno K, Han H, Cohen JE, Vo AX, Pham M, Shin M, Jain-Poster K, Ross J, Morency EG, Meyers TJ, Witte JS, Wu J, Abdulkadir SA, Kundu SD. Inflammatory bowel disease induces inflammatory and pre-neoplastic changes in the prostate. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2021 May 25:10.1038/s41391-021-00392-7. doi: 10.1038/s41391-021-00392-7. Epub ahead of print. Erratum in: Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2021 Jun 22;: PMID: 34035460; PMCID: PMC8647933.
  5. Das A, Cohen JE, Ko OS, Jordan BJ, Glaser AP, Auffenberg GB, Meeks JJ. Surgeon Scorecards Improve Muscle Sampling on TURBTs and Recurrence Outcomes in Patients with NMIBC. J Urol. 2020 Oct 6:101097JU0000000000001372. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000001372. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33021430.
  6. Weiner AB, Jan S, Jain-Poster K, Ko OS, Desai AS, Kundu SD. Insurance coverage, stage at diagnosis, and time to treatment following dependent coverage and Medicaid expansion for men with testicular cancer. PLoS One. 2020 Sep 16;15(9):e0238813. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238813. PMID: 32936794; PMCID: PMC7494102.
  7. Weiner AB, Pham MN, Isaacson DS, Ko OS, Breen KJ, Nadler RB. Predictors of use and overall survival for patients undergoing metastasectomy for bladder cancer in a national cohort. Int J Urol. 2020 Sep;27(9):736-741. doi: 10.1111/iju.14288. Epub 2020 Jun 26. PMID: 32588523.
  8. Weiner AB, Ko OS, Li EV, Vo AX, Desai AS, Breen KJ, Nadler RB, Morgans AK. Survival following upfront chemotherapy for treatment-naïve metastatic prostate cancer: a real-world retrospective cohort study. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2020 Sep 1. doi: 10.1038/s41391-020-00278-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32873919.
  9. Desai AS, Pham M, Weiner AB, Siddiqui MR, Driscoll C, Jain-Poster K, Ko OS, Vo A, Kundu SD. Medicaid Expansion Did not Improve Time to Treatment for Young Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2020 Aug;18(4):e386-e390. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2020.01.006. Epub 2020 Mar 3. PMID: 32280026.
  10. Ko OS, Weiner AB, Desai AS, et al. Bladder Cancer Following Medicaid Expansion: No Changes in the Diagnosis of Muscle-Invasive Disease and Time to Treatment. Bladder Cancer. 2020;6:143-150.
  11. Weiner AB, Ko OS, Zhu A, Spratt DE, Hu JC, Schaeffer EM. National practice patterns for lymph node irradiation in 197,000 men receiving external beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer. Urol Oncol. 2019 Jun;37(6):353.e1-353.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2018.12.022. Epub 2019 Jan 2. Erratum in: Urol Oncol. 2019 Aug;37(8):563. PMID: 30611643; PMCID: PMC6511330.
  12. Ko OS, Weiner AB, Smith ND, Meeks JJ. Rates and Predictors of Conversion to Open Surgery During Minimally Invasive Radical Cystectomy. J Endourol. 2018 Jun;32(6):488-494. doi: 10.1089/end.2018.0079. Epub 2018 Apr 5. PubMed PMID: 29620960
  13. Macleod LC, Cannon SS, Ko O, Schade GR, Wright JL, Lin DW, Holt SK, Gore JL, Dash A. Disparities in Access and Regionalization of Care in Testicular Cancer. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2018 Aug;16(4):e785-e793. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2018.02.014. Epub 2018 Feb 23. PubMed PMID: 29605587.8
  14. Caputo PA, Ko O, Patel R, Stein R. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy. J Surg Oncol. 2015 Sep 9;PubMed PMID: 26352165.
  15. Zargar H, Krishnan J, Autorino R, Akca O, Brandao LF, Laydner H, Samarasekera D, Ko O, Haber GP, Kaouk JH, Stein RJ. Robotic nephroureterectomy: a simplified approach requiring no patient repositioning or robot redocking. Eur Urol. 2014 Oct; 66(4): 769-77. PubMed PMID: 24661639
  16. Brandao LF, Zargar H, Laydner H, Akca O, Autorino R, Ko O, Samarasekera D, Li J, Rabets J, Krishnan J, Haber GP, Kaouk J, Stein R. 30-day hospital readmission after robotic partial nephrectomy--are we prepared for Medicare readmission reduction program? J Urol. 2014 Sep;192(3):677-81. PubMed PMID: 24530985
  17. Laydner H, Brandao LF, Stein RJ, Ko O. Editorial comment [Fluorescence-enhanced robotic radical cystectomy using unconjugated indocyanine green for pelvic lymphangiography, tumor marking, and mesenteric angiography: the initial clinical experience] Urology. 2014 Apr;83(4):829. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2013.11.043. PubMed PMID: 24680451.
  18. Stein RJ, Ko O, Brandao LF. Editorial comment [Application of 5-aminolevulinic acid- mediated photodynamic diagnosis to robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy]. Urology. 2013 Nov;82(5):1178 PubMed PMID: 24358488

Invited Reviews and Commentaries

  1. Ko OS, Bennett NE Jr. Ambicor Two-Piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis: Background and Contemporary Outcomes. Sex Med Rev. 2018 Apr;6(2):319-327. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2017.07.010. Epub 2017 Sep 2. PMID: 28874326.

Abstracts (*denotes presenting author)

Oral Abstract Presentations

  1. Anuj S. Desai*, Adam B. Weiner, Oliver S. Ko, Conor Driscoll, Jason E. Cohen. Amanda X. Vo, Minh N. Pham, Michael Shin, Ketan Jain-Poster, Jennifer Ross, John S. Witte, Jennifer D. Wu, Sarki A. Abdulkadir, Shilajit D. Kundu. Inflammatory Bowel Disease is Associated with Tumor infiltrating CD8 and CD20 Lymphocytes in Prostate Cancer. Podium Presentation. AUA, Washington DC (held virtually), 2020.

Poster Presentations

  1. Oliver S. Ko, Minh N. Pham, Kyle P. Tsai, Amanda X. Vo, Anuj S. Desai, Jake A. Miller, Joshua J. Meeks MD, Joshua A. Halpern, Gregory B. Auffenberg. Initial Assessment of Quality of NMIBC Care Across an Integrated Academic Health System. SUO 2020 Accepted
  2. Oliver S. Ko*, Adam B. Weiner, Amanda X. Vo, Anuj S. Desai, Shilajit D. Kundu. Bladder Cancer Outcomes Following Medicaid Expansion: No Changes in Advanced Stage and Time to Treatment. AUA, Washington DC (held virtually) 2020.
  3. Anuj Desai*, Jacob A Burns, Jason Cohen, Lauren Cooley, Adam Weiner, Amanda Vo, Oliver Ko, Irene Helenowski, Hui Zhang, Jim C Hu, John S Witte, William J Catalona, Edward M Schaeffer, Shilajit Kundu. Risk of prostate cancer in men with chronic inflammatory conditions. AUA, Washington DC (held virtually), 2020.
  4. Channa Amarasekera*, Jason Cohen, Vincent Wong, Kathyrn Jackson, Christopher Morrison, Oliver Ko, David Victorson, Shilajit Kundu. Urologists’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Behaviros Regarding Sexual Minority Patients. AUA, Chicago, IL 2019.
  5. Anuj S. Desai*, Minh Pham, Adam B. Weiner, Mohammed R. Siddiqui, Conor C. Driscoll, Ketan Jain-Poster, Oliver S. Ko, Amanda Vo, Shilajit D. Kundu. Medicaid Expansion Did not Improve Time to Treatment for Young Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma. SUO, Washington DC, 2019.
  6. Channa Amarasekera*, Vincent Wong, Kathyrn Jackson, Christopher Morrison, Oliver Ko, David Victorson, Shilajit Kundu. The Impact of Sexual Orientation on Treatment Decision-Making and Perceptions of Sexual Side-Effects From Prostate Cancer. AUA, Chicago, IL 2019.
  7. Anuj S Desai*, Oliver S Ko, Joshua A Halpern,  Mehul S Patel, MD; Adam B Weiner, Minh H Pham, Jeremy D Lai, Matthew T Hudnall, James Wren, Mary Kate Keeter, Robert E Brannigan, Nelson E Bennett. The association of national economic indicators with interest in erectile dysfunction: a Google Trends analysis. SMSNA, Nashville, 2019.
  8. Oliver Ko, Daniel Ramirez, Homayoun Zargar, Oktay Akca, Andrew McElroy, Georges-Pascal Haber, Jihad Kaouk, Robert Stein. Incidence of Major Complications for Laparoscopic Radical and Robotic Partial Nephrectomy: A Match-Paired Analysis. AUA, New Orleans, LA 2015.

Teaching

Genitourinary Module Anatomy Teaching Assistant
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL – Instructed second year Medical students clinical and radiographic GU and pelvic anatomy.
2019 – 2020  

Medical Student Lecturer in Urology
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL – Lectured third year medical students on common urological conditions during their Urology rotation.
2019 – 2020

Licensure/Certification

California Physician License A175833
 2021 – Present

California Fluoroscopy X-ray Supervisor and Operator
2022 – Present

Illinois Physician License #036.148092
2012 – Present

Personal

Languages spoken: English, Spanish (beginner), Mandarin Chinese (beginner), Cantonese Chinese (advanced).

Interests: Golf, Ancient Greek/Roman history, World War II history, trying new restaurants, Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan films.