March 30, 2023
By Lisa Ryan

Annie Kou-Chow, MD, practices at Drexel's Partnership Comprehensive Care Practice and specializes in primary and preventative care for people living with HIV.

What made you want to be a physician?

In high school, I always enjoyed helping my classmates understand concepts that were difficult for them. I was good at explaining complex ideas in simpler ways. I always felt fulfilled by helping people, and at that time, my favorite classes were science related.

What drew you to your role at the Partnership? To HIV-related medicine?

As a medical student in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was able to see first-hand how the world and my country were being affected by HIV, a virus we knew very little about. HIV was thought to be a death sentence and talking about it was a taboo. I had the opportunity to work with an infectious disease physician named Dr. Ricardo Boza Cordero, who was the main HIV provider at the Hospital San Juan de Dios in Costa Rica, where I did most of my rotations as a student and as an intern. Treatment with antiretroviral medications, specifically AZT, started in 1998 and one year later, the triple therapy was approved and incorporated in Costa Rica’s universal health care system. It was life-changing to see how a disease that was first considered terminal evolved into a chronic condition that would allow for a good quality of life in patients who got appropriate treatment.

Since then, I have understood the importance of educating patients and helping them to understand their conditions, even those that might seem taboo to society. I also see the importance of helping patients become proactive regarding their health decisions. Despite this, I decided to pursue a residency in family medicine because I really enjoy preventative medicine. However, some of my more meaningful rotations during residency happened at the Partnership. I was in awe that holistic, comprehensive care could be provided in one place. As HIV treatment advanced from a drug cocktail to a single regimen tablet, and as HIV has become a chronic disease, management of HIV in the primary care setting is similar to other chronic diseases. When I found out that the Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center was offering an educational experience to train providers who wished to provide HIV care, I jumped at the opportunity. In 2022, fate brought me to the Partnership, and I feel very lucky to be able to work in a multidisciplinary fashion with experts in their field.

What is your communication style with patients? What can patients expect from an appointment with you?

I have been working in community medicine and with underserved communities for over 12 years. I understand the importance of listening to my patients and their needs, and working together to find a middle ground when it comes to management of their medical conditions. As much as I find urgency in treating a patient’s disease, I still need to understand their priorities. At times when a patient’s plate is full of problems like unstable housing, food insecurity, domestic violence, substance abuse, unemployment or other challenges, I have to understand that taking a pill will not be at the top of their to-do list. Acknowledging their journey and their experiences is a good first step towards establishing trust, and trust is fundamental towards a meaningful patient-doctor relationship. Patients can expect that I will listen to their concerns and will be able to explain complex medical issues in simpler ways. My goal is to help patients understand the prevention and treatment of different illnesses.

In your online profile, you shared your passions for health equity and culturally sensitive care. Can you tell me more about how this influences your work as a physician?

I was born and raised in Costa Rica. I was lucky to be in a country with a good public health system and I learned very early in my college years that health is a human right. Whether you can afford private care or not, the public health system in Costa Rica will always be the safeguard to guarantee that anyone, whether or not they are able to pay, can get high quality patient care. The principles of solidarity, universality and equality were deeply ingrained in me during my medical school training. Upon moving to the United States, I realized that despite being one of the world's most powerful countries, disparities in health care are still existent and access to health is not equal. At times, the gap feels colossal. This has influenced me to work in settings where I have the support and systems to assist patients if they become uninsured or are underinsured. The ability to pay should not influence good medical care.

I also realized as a Chinese Latina how important it is to provide culturally sensitive care. Understanding different customs, slang and lingo is just as important to me as taking a good patient health history and performing a high-quality physical exam. Immigrant populations are deeply underserved. Language and interpretation services are a good first start, but a lot gets lost in translation. If I can connect with a patient because we speak the same language and share similar cultural experiences, why not?

Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time?

I like to travel. I like to experience different foods and cultures. I love live concerts and karaoke even though I do not sing well.