全惠星儿子的访谈# Parenting - 为人父母
z*t
1 楼
When President Barack Obama set out in his first year to tackle two of the
most daunting tasks confronting the nation—improving the health care of
Americans and restoring the standing of the United States in the
international community—he looked for public servants whose reputation,
expertise and experience would be commensurate with those formidable
challenges. Two of his top choices turned out to be from the same family:
mop-topped brothers from New England, armed with easy smiles, impeccable
resumes and a penchant for the Boston Red Sox. Howard Kyongju Koh, 57, is
the Assistant Secretary of Health at the United States Department of Health
and Human Services. Brother Harold Hongju Koh, 54, is the Legal Adviser at
the State Deparment.
In separate phone interviews, each spoke with KoreAm’s Frank Aum about
their efforts to advance the goals of the Obama administration and their
commitment to public service.
Dr. Howard Koh and Harold Koh
By Frank Aum
Photographs by Jay Premack
Dr. Howard Koh is board-certified in four fields–internal medicine,
hematology, dermatology, and medical oncology-and has led anti-tobacco and
cancer prevention campaigns as a doctor and a former Massachusetts health
official. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he serves as
an advisor to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, oversees 13 offices and nine
presidential and secretarial advisory committees, and provides leadership in
the federal governement’s efforts to strengthen disease-prevention and
achieve health equity. He previously served as the Commissioner of Public
Health for Massachusetts as well as associate dean at the Harvard School of
Public Health.
What is your diagnosis of America’s collective health?
Our collective health could be substantially improved, especially with
respect to prevention.
You have campaigned for many years against tobacco and for cancer prevention
. What aspects have been helpful and what can be improved upon?
What was very positive was the societal understanding that tobacco addiction
shouldn’t be accepted as the status quo. We still have far too many people
dying of tobacco addiction, especially Asian Americans and Asian American
men. So over the last number of years, we’ve finally had society reject
this situation as normal.
Also, we have a society that has traditionally placed more value on
treatment than on prevention. With health reform, we now have an opportunity
to advance the concept of prevention delivered as early as possible instead
of treatment delivered late. In just about every public health threat,
there are prevention opportunities that can be maximized. Some examples are
tobacco and cancer, infectious diseases such as H1N1 and the need for
vaccination, HIV, obesity, cardiovascular disease, violence, and climate
change.
Do you sigh when President Obama speaks vaguely about smoking relapses?
He’s been very open about his own struggles and I respect that. I think we
all understand that this is not a choice—the tobacco industry has foisted
this on young people and we need to prevent that at the earliest possible
stage. The president has shown that he is a great leader in tobacco control
by supporting and signing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control
Act of 2009. This new law gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulatory authority to regulate the marketing and promotion of tobacco
products and set performance standards for tobacco products.
I interviewed Dr. Jim Kim [president of Dartmouth College] a couple months
ago, and he mentioned that you two are friends. You, your brother Harold, Dr
. Jim Kim, have all demonstrated a commitment to both academia and public
service. Why does public service appeal to you?
I heard these messages from my parents ever since I was a young boy. They
were newcomers to this country from Korea searching for the American Dream
and as long as I can remember, they told us that we were fortunate to live
in this country, that we were blessed to speak English as our first language
, and that we were fortunate to enjoy rights and freedoms. But in return, it
was our responsibility to give back to society and to help others. Also, my
father was the Ambassador to the United States from South Korea in 1960 for
a short period of time. I just remember his excitement in being able to
serve both countries. So service was always a major dimension of my
upbringing.
Your parents both taught at Yale. Tell us about life growing up in the Koh
household in New Haven in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I don’t think it was like
Leave It to Beaver.
[Laughs] It’s fair to say that my parents pushed all of us children to go
beyond our full potential. I think a lot of it was, of course, the
understanding that they had made tremendous sacrifices to be in this new
country, and they wanted us to succeed and give back to society. We worked
hard. They sent us to the best schools, and they took out loans so we could
attend private schools and universities and graduate schools.
Were they trying to hoist upon you activities like piano or violin lessons,
or extra study preparation?
Definitely, extra study and preparation!
What were some of your and your siblings’ hobbies or activities growing up?
We all have a passion for baseball and the Boston Red Sox. [Harold and I]
both got to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. I’m also a vocalist.
I’ve read that you were the president of the Glee Club at Yale.
Yes, choral singing is a wonderful gift. I love music.
Did your Asian American identity have any role in your formative years?
There were very few Asian Americans in [New Haven]. It was predominantly
Caucasian so we stood out for many reasons. When you’re a little kid, you
don’t necessarily want to be different than your peers. But as you grow
older, it becomes a big positive force in your life and a motivating force.
Speaking about motivating forces, what motivated you toward health and
medicine? Was your brother’s experience with polio a contributing factor in
your interest in medicine?
I wanted to help others in the most basic way, and I saw that helping people
with suffering was an invaluable, if not sacred, way of making a
contribution in other people’s lives. Seeing what my brother went through
of course affected me. So that was one of many experiences that affected my
decision to go into medicine. Also, my own doctor was, and is, a fantastic
role model.
Did your family move down to D.C. with you?
Well, my three kids—Stephen, Daniel, and Katie (27, 25 and 22)—are up and
out of the house, all with their own busy lives. My wife is a very busy
ophthalmologist in Boston. As we speak, our oldest son is in Korea. He’s a
visiting scholar at Seoul National University’s law school.
Your sister Jean is also a professor at Yale Law School so I’d imagine that
Thanksgiving dinners with the Kohs must be rigorous affairs. When you see
your siblings, do conversations settle on middle ground topics like PEPFAR
or do you swap opinions about the latest Twilight movie?
[Laughs] Haha, you’re funny. Well, it’s great to be in the Obama
administration with my brother Harold. We’re seeing each other more than we
have in quite a while. He’s obviously very busy and traveling a lot
internationally. It’s been great to share this chapter with him. My mom is
a very proud Korean mother.
Do you have any advice for aspiring physicians or public servants?
Pinpoint your passion. If you can pinpoint your passion and follow it, that
can lead you to wonderful life experiences. In my case, my parents imbued me
with this wonderful passion, and it has led me to where I am now. So I feel
very blessed and fortunate.
most daunting tasks confronting the nation—improving the health care of
Americans and restoring the standing of the United States in the
international community—he looked for public servants whose reputation,
expertise and experience would be commensurate with those formidable
challenges. Two of his top choices turned out to be from the same family:
mop-topped brothers from New England, armed with easy smiles, impeccable
resumes and a penchant for the Boston Red Sox. Howard Kyongju Koh, 57, is
the Assistant Secretary of Health at the United States Department of Health
and Human Services. Brother Harold Hongju Koh, 54, is the Legal Adviser at
the State Deparment.
In separate phone interviews, each spoke with KoreAm’s Frank Aum about
their efforts to advance the goals of the Obama administration and their
commitment to public service.
Dr. Howard Koh and Harold Koh
By Frank Aum
Photographs by Jay Premack
Dr. Howard Koh is board-certified in four fields–internal medicine,
hematology, dermatology, and medical oncology-and has led anti-tobacco and
cancer prevention campaigns as a doctor and a former Massachusetts health
official. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he serves as
an advisor to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, oversees 13 offices and nine
presidential and secretarial advisory committees, and provides leadership in
the federal governement’s efforts to strengthen disease-prevention and
achieve health equity. He previously served as the Commissioner of Public
Health for Massachusetts as well as associate dean at the Harvard School of
Public Health.
What is your diagnosis of America’s collective health?
Our collective health could be substantially improved, especially with
respect to prevention.
You have campaigned for many years against tobacco and for cancer prevention
. What aspects have been helpful and what can be improved upon?
What was very positive was the societal understanding that tobacco addiction
shouldn’t be accepted as the status quo. We still have far too many people
dying of tobacco addiction, especially Asian Americans and Asian American
men. So over the last number of years, we’ve finally had society reject
this situation as normal.
Also, we have a society that has traditionally placed more value on
treatment than on prevention. With health reform, we now have an opportunity
to advance the concept of prevention delivered as early as possible instead
of treatment delivered late. In just about every public health threat,
there are prevention opportunities that can be maximized. Some examples are
tobacco and cancer, infectious diseases such as H1N1 and the need for
vaccination, HIV, obesity, cardiovascular disease, violence, and climate
change.
Do you sigh when President Obama speaks vaguely about smoking relapses?
He’s been very open about his own struggles and I respect that. I think we
all understand that this is not a choice—the tobacco industry has foisted
this on young people and we need to prevent that at the earliest possible
stage. The president has shown that he is a great leader in tobacco control
by supporting and signing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control
Act of 2009. This new law gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulatory authority to regulate the marketing and promotion of tobacco
products and set performance standards for tobacco products.
I interviewed Dr. Jim Kim [president of Dartmouth College] a couple months
ago, and he mentioned that you two are friends. You, your brother Harold, Dr
. Jim Kim, have all demonstrated a commitment to both academia and public
service. Why does public service appeal to you?
I heard these messages from my parents ever since I was a young boy. They
were newcomers to this country from Korea searching for the American Dream
and as long as I can remember, they told us that we were fortunate to live
in this country, that we were blessed to speak English as our first language
, and that we were fortunate to enjoy rights and freedoms. But in return, it
was our responsibility to give back to society and to help others. Also, my
father was the Ambassador to the United States from South Korea in 1960 for
a short period of time. I just remember his excitement in being able to
serve both countries. So service was always a major dimension of my
upbringing.
Your parents both taught at Yale. Tell us about life growing up in the Koh
household in New Haven in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I don’t think it was like
Leave It to Beaver.
[Laughs] It’s fair to say that my parents pushed all of us children to go
beyond our full potential. I think a lot of it was, of course, the
understanding that they had made tremendous sacrifices to be in this new
country, and they wanted us to succeed and give back to society. We worked
hard. They sent us to the best schools, and they took out loans so we could
attend private schools and universities and graduate schools.
Were they trying to hoist upon you activities like piano or violin lessons,
or extra study preparation?
Definitely, extra study and preparation!
What were some of your and your siblings’ hobbies or activities growing up?
We all have a passion for baseball and the Boston Red Sox. [Harold and I]
both got to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. I’m also a vocalist.
I’ve read that you were the president of the Glee Club at Yale.
Yes, choral singing is a wonderful gift. I love music.
Did your Asian American identity have any role in your formative years?
There were very few Asian Americans in [New Haven]. It was predominantly
Caucasian so we stood out for many reasons. When you’re a little kid, you
don’t necessarily want to be different than your peers. But as you grow
older, it becomes a big positive force in your life and a motivating force.
Speaking about motivating forces, what motivated you toward health and
medicine? Was your brother’s experience with polio a contributing factor in
your interest in medicine?
I wanted to help others in the most basic way, and I saw that helping people
with suffering was an invaluable, if not sacred, way of making a
contribution in other people’s lives. Seeing what my brother went through
of course affected me. So that was one of many experiences that affected my
decision to go into medicine. Also, my own doctor was, and is, a fantastic
role model.
Did your family move down to D.C. with you?
Well, my three kids—Stephen, Daniel, and Katie (27, 25 and 22)—are up and
out of the house, all with their own busy lives. My wife is a very busy
ophthalmologist in Boston. As we speak, our oldest son is in Korea. He’s a
visiting scholar at Seoul National University’s law school.
Your sister Jean is also a professor at Yale Law School so I’d imagine that
Thanksgiving dinners with the Kohs must be rigorous affairs. When you see
your siblings, do conversations settle on middle ground topics like PEPFAR
or do you swap opinions about the latest Twilight movie?
[Laughs] Haha, you’re funny. Well, it’s great to be in the Obama
administration with my brother Harold. We’re seeing each other more than we
have in quite a while. He’s obviously very busy and traveling a lot
internationally. It’s been great to share this chapter with him. My mom is
a very proud Korean mother.
Do you have any advice for aspiring physicians or public servants?
Pinpoint your passion. If you can pinpoint your passion and follow it, that
can lead you to wonderful life experiences. In my case, my parents imbued me
with this wonderful passion, and it has led me to where I am now. So I feel
very blessed and fortunate.