Dr. Chris Koo has never been one to settle for doing just one thing. Six years into practice, his career already spans family medicine, teaching, hospital work, procedural care and leadership. Along the way, he has trained in point-of-care ultrasound, intramuscular needling, cognitive behavioural therapy and even culinary medicine. “Family medicine is the perfect fit for me, because I get to do a bit of everything each day,” he says. “It’s flexible enough that I can adjust my career just how I like it.”
That willingness to carve his own path brought Dr. Koo from Vancouver to Edmonton, despite warnings that he was “moving the wrong way.” But Alberta surprised him. “The people of Edmonton won me over,” he recalls. “They’re down-to-earth and friendly, almost like the energy of a small town in an urban city. With that smallness, I’ve also found so many career opportunities that would be harder to come by in a larger city. I’ve never looked back.”
Not everything about the journey has been easy. Like many physicians, Dr. Koo struggled with boundaries early in his career. “The hardest part of medicine is knowing where work begins and where work ends,” he says. Years of training had taught him to put duty first and tie his self-worth to performance evaluations. “It’s common to feel enslaved and stifled by the work. But life is so much more than work and we deserve to live just as much as someone else.”
For Dr. Koo, food became a second passion. He trained in culinary school, appeared on TV and brought those lessons back into medicine. That mix of creativity and practicality now shapes his approach as the University of Alberta’s new Director of Wellness in the Department of Family Medicine. “At a time when our healthcare system is struggling, we need more than ever to think outside the box,” he says.
His residency years taught him resilience above all else. “Residency was about navigating unfamiliar situations and finding a way to thrive no matter what,” he reflects. That adaptability, honed during training, has carried him through funding cuts, political strife and the disruptions of a global pandemic.
Mentorship has also been a cornerstone of his growth. He often recalls the words of Dr. Michael Nutting, an “old-school” physician who encouraged trainees to ask themselves one simple question: Is this good medicine? “In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, it’s easy to be swayed by emotions, politics or burnout,” Dr. Koo says. “That guiding principle helps me untangle the noise and focus on what’s best for the patient in front of me. The Hippocratic oath still lives in me.”
Looking to the future, Dr. Koo sees resident physicians as critical agents of change. “We can’t cling to traditions just because we’ve always done it that way,” he says. “Our residents will bring the fresh perspectives we need to shape healthcare into what it must become.”
As PARA celebrates 50 years, Dr. Koo has a message for the next generation: “You’ve picked a rich and rewarding career. Remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t exhaust yourself and burn out too early. Residency isn’t the end - it’s the beginning. Take the lessons you’ve learned and build the life you want, not the one others tell you to have.”
