Caroline H. Ko, PhD

Dr. Caroline H. Ko joined the Washington University Department of Neurosurgery in 2023 as Associate Director of Research Strategy and Clinical Translation for the Brain Tumor Center (BTC).

In partnership with the Directors of the BTC, Dr. Ko is responsible to grow the BTC research enterprise, including the development of successful new grant proposals and philanthropic initiatives, oversee drug development and clinical translation of key technologies developed in the BTC, and support the efforts to commercialize BTC laboratory-based inventions.

Dr. Ko is experienced in drug development from the bench to bedside as demonstrated by her postdoctoral research, for which she facilitated Investigational New Drug (IND) approval by the FDA for early phase clinical study. The clinical study opened and dosed its first patient in 2017.

Prior to joining the Brain Tumor Center, Dr. Ko was the Project Leader of NewCures, a Biomedical Accelerator at Northwestern University, which she supported to launch and establish the processes and procedures. Dr. Ko’s post-doctoral work at Northwestern’s Department of Chemistry focused on nanoparticle-based therapeutics development. She is author of over 25 peer-reviewed publications.

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Honors and awards

• Service Excellence Award — Northwestern University, 2017
• Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) — Postgraduate Scholarships, PGS A and B (2000-2004); Undergraduate Research Award (Summer 1999)