Dr. Angela Kao is a specialty care physician board certified in pediatric surgery. She joins the pediatric surgery team at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Kao is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Kao completed her general surgery residency at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. While in residency, she completed a research fellowship in minimally invasive surgery techniques and championed multiple surgical quality improvement initiatives. Following residency, she completed her pediatric surgery fellowship at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. During her time in fellowship, she learned specialized skills to care for infants and premature babies. Throughout her training, she refined her skills in the latest minimally invasive techniques for laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgeries.

Dr. Kao has specific interests in surgical quality improvement and developing protocols to ensure safe and excellent surgical care for the children of Northern Virginia. She is proud to be a member of the American College of Surgeons verified Level I Children’s Surgery Center at Inova and is looking forward to taking on new roles as surgeon champion for the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Outside the office, Dr. Kao enjoys exploring the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and all the food and culture it has to offer. A proud Georgetown alum, she can occasionally be found at Hoya basketball games.

PubMed Publications

Awards/Associations

• Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award for Professionalism in General Surgery Top 10 Finalist, August 2020
•  Resident Physician of the Quarter, Atrium Health, February 2020
• Department of Surgery Research Grant, Predictive Analytics in Paraesophageal Hernia Repair, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
• First Place Region IV American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Paper Competition, Trauma Recidivism and Mortality Following Violent Injuries in Young Adults, November 2018
• First Place Trainee Abstract Competition, Fast-Track Pathway for Noncomplicated Pediatric Appendicitis Utilizing a Single Dedicated Pre- and Post-Operative Unit. American College of Surgeons Quality and Safety Conference, July 2018
• Silver Touchstone Award: Implementation of a Fast-Track Pathway to Enhance Recovery after Noncomplicated Pediatric Appendicitis, Atrium Health Quality and Patient Experience Sharing Day, June 2018
• First Place NC/SC American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Paper Competition, Trauma Recidivism and Mortality Following Violent Injuries in Young Adults, July 2018
• Second Place NC/SC American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Resident Paper Competition, Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy: 18-Year Institutional Experience, July 2018
• Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative Resident/Fellow Research Grant, Comparison of Outcomes After Partial Versus Complete Mesh Excision, American Hernia Society, March 2018
• Second Place Southeastern Surgical Congress Gold Medal Paper Forum, Redo or Not to Redo: Comparison of Initial and Reoperative Paraesophageal Hernia Repair, Southeastern Surgical Congress, February 2018
• American College of Surgeons
• American Pediatric Surgical Association
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• American Hernia Society
• Southeastern Surgical Congress
• American College of Surgeons North Carolina Chapter 
• Association of Women Surgeons
• Association of Academic Surgery