Dereck H. Ko

Dereck Ko is a nurse practitioner who specializes in cancers of the blood. He cares for patients as they go through bone marrow or stem cell transplant, or intensive chemotherapy. He also performs procedures used to diagnose blood cancers, including bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures to collect fluid from the spinal cord.

Ko earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from California State University, East Bay. While in nursing school, he worked as a pharmacy technician. After graduating, he worked as a registered nurse in an intensive care unit while earning a master's degree in nursing at San Jose State University. He is a certified family nurse practitioner.

Ko began his career as a nurse practitioner at the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He joined UCSF in 2007.

In his free time, Ko enjoys hiking, working out, listening to music and walking on the beach with his dogs.