In January, I was invited to a very special dinner
celebration, to acknowledge my friend and colleague, Dr. Jeff Koh, head of
pediatric anesthesiology at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Dr. Koh was being honored
as the first holder of the Fred Fax Professorship of Pediatric Anesthesia. This
important endowed position, a gift from the estate of Alice and Fred Fax, will
support the important work of Jeff and his colleagues at Doernbecher now and in
perpetuity.
At the dinner, listening to colleagues from near and far who
were visiting to join in the celebration, I was reminded of the special talents
that Jeff brings to his care of patients at Doernbecher. His calm, warm and
wonderful demeanor with children changes their operative experience (and that
of their parents) for the better. His focus and skill as an anesthesiologist
brings an unmatched level of safety and care to their outcomes. Indeed, when
one of my own children needed an anesthetic for placement of ear tubes, Jeff
took care of them. This passion for quality extends to all of Jeff’s anesthesia
colleagues at Doernbecher, in part because he helps to inspire it.
Jeff is also a superlative leader, who keeps a complex OR
environment humming, makes sure everyone is at their best, and that everyone’s
contribution is valued. Holding the Fax Professorship is emblematic of all
these skills, and of what Jeff brings to Oregon’s children.
My favorite part of the dinner was to see Jeff’s wife,
children, and even siblings and father, some from very far away, visiting to
enjoy their family member’s success, and to better understand his
contributions. That night, they too became part of our “Doernbecher family”!
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| My colleagues Dean Mark Richardson and Drs. Jeff Koh, Stacy Nicholson and Jeff Kirsch |
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