Kelsey E. Koch, MD
Assistant Professor-Clinical
Department:
SOM-Surgery-Thoracic
Email:
kkoch1@umc.edu
Work Phone:
(601) 984-5176
Biography
Originally from the upper Midwest, Dr. Koch earned her medical degree at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. She completed her residency in General Surgery at the University of Iowa and spent 2 years of dedicated research time focusing on oncology research. During this time, she also completed the Association for Surgical Education’s Surgical Education Research Fellowship.
After her General Surgery training, Dr. Koch attended Yale and completed her fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery in New Haven, CT, with a clinical focus in the Thoracic Oncology.
Dr. Koch sees patients with primary lung cancer, cancers metastatic to the lung, mediastinal masses, tracheal abnormalities, esophageal cancer, thoracic outlet syndrome, and chest wall deformities.
Education
| Yale School of Medicine, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery | 2025 |
| University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, MD, General Surgery | 2023 |
| University of South Dakota, MD, Sanford School of Medicine | 2016 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, BS, Chemistry | 2012 |
Specialty Certification Licensure
| Certification, Thoracic Surgical Robotics Fellowship, American Association of Thoracic Surgery | |
| Certification, Da Vinci Robotic Surgery Certification | |
| Licensure, Medical License, Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure | 06/2025 - 06/2026 |
| Certification, General Surgery Board Certification, American Board of Surgery | 03/2024 - 01/2027 |
Current Positions
| Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Surgery | 09/2025 - Present |
| Assistant Professor, School of Medicine | 09/2025 - Present |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Mississippi 39216 | |
Sponsored Program Funding
Publications
Journal Article | |
| Li Z, Koch KE, Thompson DT, Van der Heide DM, Chang J, Franke CM, Suraju MO, Beck AC, Lorenzen AW, White JR, Bartschat NI, Kulak MV, Meyerholz DK, Kenny C, Weigel RJ, Sumoylated Etv1 establishes mouse mammary cancer stem cells that support tumorigenesis by non-stem cancer cells. Developmental cell, 2025 Sep 8;60(17):2264-2278.e7 | 2025 |
| Linden BM, Willging AM, Chainani M, Koch K, Galet C, McGonagill PW, Is Frailty Discouraging Surgeons From Performing Thoracolumbar Fusion?: A Retrospective Study. Spine, 2025 May 1;50(9):604-611 | 2025 |
| Koch KE, Dhanasopon AP, Woodard GA, Airway Esophageal Fistula. Thoracic surgery clinics, 2024 Nov;34(4):405-414 | 2024 |
| Koch K, Troester AM, Chevuru PT, Campbell B, Galet C, McGonagill PW, Admission Lymphopenia is Associated With Discharge Disposition in Blunt Chest Wall Trauma Patients. The Journal of surgical research, 2022 Feb;270:293-299 | 2022 |
| White JR, Thompson DT, Koch KE, Kiriazov BS, Beck AC, van der Heide DM, Grimm BG, Kulak MV, Weigel RJ, AP-2α-Mediated Activation of E2F and EZH2 Drives Melanoma Metastasis. Cancer research, 2021 Sep 1;81(17):4455-4470 | 2021 |
| Koch KE, Hahn A, Hart A, Kahl A, Charlton M, Kapadia MR, Hrabe JE, Cromwell JW, Hassan I, Gribovskaja-Rupp I, Male sex, ostomy, infection, and intravenous fluids are associated with increased risk of postoperative ileus in elective colorectal surgery. Surgery, 2021 Nov;170(5):1325-1330 | 2021 |
| Beck AC, Cho E, White JR, Paemka L, Li T, Gu VW, Thompson DT, Koch KE, Franke C, Gosse M, Wu VT, Landers SR, Pamatmat AJ, Kulak MV, Weigel RJ, AP-2α Regulates S-Phase and Is a Marker for Sensitivity to PI3K Inhibitor Buparlisib in Colon Cancer. Molecular cancer research : MCR, 2021 Jul;19(7):1156-1167 | 2021 |
| Gu VW, Cho E, Thompson DT, Cassady VC, Borcherding N, Koch KE, Wu VT, Lorenzen AW, van der Heide DM, White JR, Kulak MV, Williams T, Zhang W, Weigel RJ, AP-2γ Is Required for Maintenance of Multipotent Mammary Stem Cells. Stem cell reports, 2021 Jan 12;16(1):106-119 | 2021 |
| Koch KE, Goffredo P, Hrabe JE, Gribovskaja-Rupp I, Snow AN, Bellizzi AM, Kapadia MR, Impact of routine mismatch repair screening on genetic counseling and surgical management in colorectal cancer patients. American journal of surgery, 2021 Aug;222(2):408-412 | 2021 |
| Wu VT, Kiriazov B, Koch KE, Gu VW, Beck AC, Borcherding N, Li T, Addo P, Wehrspan ZJ, Zhang W, Braun TA, Brown BJ, Band V, Band H, Kulak MV, Weigel RJ, A TFAP2C Gene Signature Is Predictive of Outcome in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. Molecular cancer research : MCR, 2020 Jan;18(1):46-56 | 2020 |
| Kapadia MR, White AV, Peters L, Kreiter C, Koch KE, Rosenbaum ME, Teaching Patient-Related Communication to Surgical Residents in Brief Training Sessions. Journal of surgical education, 2020 Nov-Dec;77(6):1496-1502 | |
Presentations
| State/Local Invited Seminars/Lectures, 80 x 5 Does Not Equal 10,000: The Ethics Behind Timing Surgical Training, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 04/2022 |
| State/Local Invited Seminars/Lectures, Teaching Medical Students: How to Win a Teaching Award, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 04/2022 |
| National and International Invited Seminars/Lectures, Identifying and Educating the Struggling Surgical Intern: The Role of Senior Residents, Association of Surgical Education Annual Meeting, Virtual | 04/2021 |
| Regional Invited Seminars/Lectures, Admission Lymphopenia is Associated with Discharge Disposition in Blunt Chest Wall Trauma Patients, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Virtual | 12/2020 |
| State/Local Invited Seminars/Lectures, SUMO Pathway Inhibition Represses Mammary Oncogenesis, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 05/2020 |
| State/Local Invited Seminars/Lectures, Non-operative Management of Blunt Splenic Trauma with Selective Embolization is Safe and Effective in a Rural Trauma System, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 05/2020 |
| National and International Invited Seminars/Lectures, The Effects of Mismatch Repair Deficiency Screening in the Surgical Management of Colorectal Cancer, ASCRS National Meeting, Cleveland, OH | 06/2019 |
| State/Local Invited Seminars/Lectures, A TFAP2C Gene Signature is Predictive of Outcome in HER2-positive Breast Cancer, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 05/2019 |
| National and International Invited Seminars/Lectures, Male Gender, Ostomy, Infection, and IV Fluids are Associated with Increased Risk of Post-Operative Ileus in Elective Colorectal Patients, Digestive Disease Week, San Diego, CA | 04/2019 |
| National and International Invited Seminars/Lectures, Prolonged Postoperative Stay After Elective Colorectal Surgery is Associated with IV Fluid Volume, Older Patient, and Prolonged Open Operation, Digestive Disease Week, San Diego, CA | 04/2019 |
| Poster Presentation, Mismatch Repair Testing Strongly Impacts Surgical Management of Colorectal Cancer, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 05/2018 |
| Poster Presentation, Postoperative ileus after colectomy and proctectomy may have different risk factors, University of Iowa, Department of Surgery, Iowa City, IA | 05/2018 |
| Platform Presentations, Treatment and Prognosis of Rectal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Analysis of the National Cancer Database, American Surgical Congress, Jacksonville, FL | 01/2018 |
| Poster Presentation, The Effect of Rectal Irrigation on Successful Feeding in Patients with Gastroschisis, American Medical Women’s Association Centennial Meeting, Chicago, IL | 05/2016 |
Honors, Awards, and Recognition
| Clinical Excellence Award, Yale Medicine, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery | 2025 |
| Surgical Education Leadership Fellowship, Association of Surgical Education | 2023 |
| Surgical Education Research Fellow, Association of Surgical Education | 2022 |
| Medical Student Surgery Clerkship Teaching Award, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine | 2022 |
| Clinical Teaching Award Nominee, University of Iowa, Graduate Medical Education | 2022 |
| Resident Educator of the Year Nominee, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine | 2021 |
| First Place, Regional Trauma Resident Paper Competition, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma | 2020 |
| T32 Surgical Oncology Research Fellow, University of Iowa, Department of Surgical Oncology | 2020 |
| Quality Leadership Academy, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics | 2020 |
| Make a Difference Award, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics | 2018 |
| Resident Educator of the Year Nominee, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine | 2018 |
| Dorothy Shaw Leadership Award, Alpha Delta Pi Foundation | 2016 |
| Karl Wegner Highest Honors Pathology Award, University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine | 2015 |
| Clinical Research Assistant, Sanford Health, Department of Pediatric Surgery | 2013 |
| Leadership Hall of Fame Inductee, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 2012 |
Professional Membership and Service
| American College Of Surgeons | |
| Association of Surgical Education | |
| American Medical Women's Association | |
| Society of Thoracic Surgeons | |
| Mississippi Lung Cancer Roundtable |
Committee Service
| Program Evaluation Committee, Member | 2022 - 2023 |
| Communication and Collaboration Task Force, Member | 2021 - 2022 |
| Entrustable Professional Activities Technology Task Force, Member | 2020 - 2022 |
Other Service
| Administrative Chief Resident | 07/2022 - 06/2023 |
| Education Chief Resident | 07/2021 - 06/2022 |
| Wellness Chief Resident | 07/2020 - 06/2021 |
Teaching Experience
| Nursing, Lecture, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit Bootcamp | Winter 2026 |
| SOM 621, Medicine, Lecture, The Respiratory System | Spring 2026 |