Chance Encounters to Lasting Impact: One Alum’s Gift to the Next Generation
For Douglas Koch, M.D., Fel. ’82, Res. ’81, a career path full of plans has taken some unexpected and incredibly fortuitous turns.
“Being open to new experiences and even unplanned encounters—just bumping into somebody and initiating a conversation—can lead to a discussion that generates a new idea or a new connection, and that can lead somewhere you never expected,” said Dr. Koch.
From a young age, Dr. Koch, professor and the Allen, Mosbacher, and Law Chair in Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, was inspired by his radiologist father to pursue a career in medicine, despite also having lifelong passions for music and photography. While at Harvard Medical School, he initially wanted to pursue pediatrics, but a last-minute choice to take an ophthalmology rotation convinced him to change his mind and ultimately, he chose a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology.
However, Fate had other plans—near the end of his residency, Jared Emery, M.D. (a pioneer in cataract surgery and Dr. Koch’s mentor at Baylor) convinced him to think about anterior segment surgery, something that Dr. Koch had never considered. A week later, the fellowship Dr. Koch had already planned to attend lost its funding. So, he made another last-minute switch to join his mentor and stay in Houston, where he had already met a woman named Marcia, who would become his wife.
From there, the rest of the pieces fell further into place, with Dr. Koch being personally invited to join the Department of Ophthalmology by the legendary Baylor faculty member, Dan B. Jones, M.D., former chair of the Department. Drawn to Baylor for its clinical and research excellence and the opportunity to teach, Dr. Koch accepted happily. Over the past 43 years, he has helped countless patients with their vision challenges and sought to bring new insights to his field. But there is something particularly rewarding about helping students find their own paths.
“Looking at my career, the thing I am most pleased about is all the young ophthalmologists whom I had the chance to help mentor and teach,” said Dr. Koch. “It is so rewarding to see them grow in their knowledge and skills, help them find their niche and see them flourish in their career path.”
Today, Dr. Koch and his wife, Mrs. Marcia Murphey, continue to shape the future of health sciences education in a new way—through philanthropy. Called to give through a matching challenge, they contributed to the Lillie and Roy Cullen Tower, Baylor’s new home of the schools of Medicine and Health Professions, which will open in 2026.
Dr. Koch also encourages his fellow alumni to consider supporting Cullen Tower: “It’s especially important for alumni to step up right now, to consider supporting the school that helped open their careers. It is a time of great need and opportunity, and Baylor continues to lead in every way.”
Located adjacent to the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, McNair Campus and Ben Taub Hospital, Cullen Tower will afford students even more of the unique hands-on experience for which Baylor is known. The physical proximity to the rest of the Texas Medical Center and ease of day-to-day interactions are elements that Dr. Koch is eager to experience.
“The more we can bring people together and increase their ability to interact—that’s going to lead to more educational and research opportunities,” said Dr. Koch. “It is a huge step forward in medical education, and it benefits the entire Baylor community.”
To learn more about how the Cullen Tower will transform health sciences education or to donate, click here.
