September Member Focus: Sam Ko
Member Focus: Dr. H. Samuel Ko - Looking Beyond the Crisis in Pain Care
This month, AAPM is proud to spotlight H. Samuel Ko, MD, MBA, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, educator, and clinician whose career has evolved around a fundamental question: What happens to patients when the immediate crisis is over, but their pain remains?
Dr. Ko is the founder and medical director of Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs, California, where he works with patients experiencing treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic neuropathic pain. His approach reflects lessons learned throughout his career caring for patients with complex conditions who have not found adequate relief through conventional treatments.
For Dr. Ko, the transition from emergency medicine into caring for patients with chronic pain grew from seeing firsthand the limitations of treating only the immediate problem.
"Emergency medicine taught me to stabilize a crisis. But I kept thinking about the patients whose pain didn't resolve once the crisis passed. I spent eight years running a clinic focused on those patients, and what I learned is that chronic pain is complex and requires a multimodal approach. This is what makes the work both hard and worth doing. To the health care system it may be one case, but to that patient it's their life back."
Dr. Ko earned his Bachelor of Science from Seattle University and his MD/MBA from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He completed his emergency medicine residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he developed a patient-centered approach that considers not only the biological aspects of illness, but also the psychological and social factors that can influence healing.
Following residency, Dr. Ko served as an attending emergency physician, assistant professor of emergency medicine at a Level I trauma center, and assistant medical director. His experiences in emergency medicine ultimately sparked a deeper interest in ketamine and other neuromodulatory approaches for patients living with severe, refractory symptoms. His clinical experience also includes point-of-care ultrasound and stellate ganglion block procedures.
Education has become another important part of his work. Dr. Ko co-created Ketamine StartUp, an educational program designed to help clinicians better understand evidence-based ketamine infusion therapy, and has consulted on the development of more than 20 ketamine clinics across the United States.
Dr. Ko is also bringing his experience and perspective to AAPM, recently joining the AAPM Finance Committee. His involvement reflects the multidisciplinary expertise that strengthens the Academy and its work to advance the field of pain medicine.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ko has remained focused on the individual behind the diagnosis. His belief that complex pain requires a comprehensive approach, and that successful treatment can mean helping someone regain their life, reflects the patient-centered spirit at the heart of AAPM.
We are honored to feature Dr. H. Samuel Ko as September's Member Focus and welcome his continued involvement with the Academy.
Nominate a fellow AAPM member who exemplifies our mission to advance multidisciplinary pain care innovation, education, advocacy, and research by completing the nomination form here.