Photo of Darae Ko, MD, MSc, at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging research, Boston, MA

Darae Ko, MD, MSc

  • Associate Scientist
  • Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Attending Cardiologist, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center
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Dr. Ko is a cardiologist and a researcher. Her research program in aging research in cardiology is dedicated to generating evidence for and implementation of safe and effective novel cardiovascular therapies in medically complex older adults. She received her medical degree at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and completed Internal Medicine Residency and Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Ko was a previous recipient of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/Merck Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cardioemtabolic Disorders. Her research program is funded by a K23 and a R01 awards from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

Program for Aging Research in Cardiology

Our mission is to advance the cardiovascular care of frail older adults through innovative research and multidisciplinary collaboration. We aim to deepen the understanding of unique challenges faced by frail older adults, developing evidence-based strategies to enhance treatment outcomes and preserve quality of life.

In its early stages, the program is focused on generating real-world evidence on the utilization and outcomes of drug and device therapies in frail older adults. In absence of applicable clinical trials, the program seeks to determine the next best level of evidence to guide drug and device therapy in this vulnerable population. This multidisciplinary research program brings together  collaborators across multiple subspecialties —including cardiology, neurology general internal medicine, geriatric —and experts across various research domains, such as pharmaco- and device epidemiology and quantitative and qualitative research.
 

2020 American College of Cardiology    
Foundation/Merck Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cardiometabolic Disorders
2021CVCT (CardioVascular Clinical Trialists) 
NHLBI Future Trialists Fellowship

Dr. Ko’s affiliations and collaborations include: 

  • Boston University Medical Center
  • The Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at BIDMC
  • Framingham Heart Study
  • Massachusetts Area Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center
     

Research Areas

Learn more about the areas of research where Dr. Ko focuses.
A string of computer code is reflected in the glasses of a researcher at the Marcus Institute for Aging in Boston, MA.

Data Science and Technology

The Marcus Institute includes a biostatistics and data sciences faculty who collaborate with investigators to design and conduct clinical trials and observational studies in aging.

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Health Care Services and Policy

The Marcus Institute seeks to effect change in policies that impact the care of older adults by identifying age-related conditions that have an outsized impact on health care utilization and costs, while developing interventions that mitigate the issues.

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Medication

Marcus Institute researchers are examining the relationship between medicine and adverse health outcomes such as falls, injuries, and treatment side effects among older people.

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Physical Health and Function

Through the Marcus Institute’s research we are learning how older adults can maintain independence and quality of life.

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Current Projects

View Dr. Ko's current projects. 

Risk-Guided Atrial Fibrillation Surveillance in Ischemic Stroke

This research aims to evaluate contemporary practices related to the use of an Implantable Loop Recorder (ILS) following ischemic stroke. Our goal is to develop a post-stroke atrial fibrillation (AF) risk prediction model using the national Veterans Health Administration electronic health records (EHR) and externally validate the model in the Boston Medical Center Stroke Database and develop an EHR-based post-stroke AF risk estimation tool and conduct a single-arm pilot test of the EHR tool to evaluate acceptability, adoption, and validity prior to RCT testing. 
K23HL151903-01A1 

Principal Investigator

Utilization and Clinical Outcomes of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Older Adults with Atrial Fibrillation and Frailty

The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of left atrial appendage occlusion device compared with direct oral anticoagulants in older adults with atrial fibrillation. 

R01 HL175560  

Principal Investigator