Annie Kuo says that when she was twelve, “a path was chosen for me to immigrate to America, from Taiwan. This path means experiencing what it was like to be functionally impaired. Since then I’ve strived to make my own path in life.” And what a path that has been.

Annie became the first English speaker in her family, the first musician, the first female college graduate, and the first physician. When asked why she chose to become a doctor, Annie says, “The field of medicine satisfies my motivation to be an advocate for those in need.”

Annie describes her vision of the doctor patient experience, “Ophthalmology provides another arena for me to contribute my musical talent in a purposeful way. My background in music as a classical pianist has been a great complement to my training as a physician. I parallel the doctor-patient relationship to the emotional connection between that of a performer and the audience. I constantly look for this special bond during my patient encounters, just as I value the moments when this connection is made during a performance.”

“When I made my first trip back to my birthplace after ten years, I found out that a very close family friend became blind while I was gone. It was heart wrenching knowing that her last image of me would always be that little twelve-year-old girl who waved goodbye to her at the airport. She would never see what had become of me. Throughout my training, whether at a homeless shelter clinic in the South Side of Chicago, at a crowded hospital in rural Mexico, or during my surgery rotation, I met more patients plagued by their vision and the helplessness reflected on their faces that reminded me of my loved one. For these reasons, I am inspired to volunteer my time in under served population and third-world countries as an ophthalmologist in the future.”

You don’t need to be around Annie long before you begin to believe that, as she said, a path was chosen for her to immigrate to America.

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