Dr. Cho is a surgeon-scientist with the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) at Vancouver General Hospital.

He completed his neurosurgical residency training at the University of Toronto in 2023.  During his residency training, he also completed a PhD with Grégoire Courtine at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) examining neuromodulation to improve walking after spinal cord injury in 2021.  His graduate work identified a novel target of deep brain stimulation that improves gait after chronic traumatic spinal cord injury. 

He then went on to complete a stereotactic/functional neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Toronto in 2024.  This was followed by a combined neurosurgery/orthopaedic spine surgery fellowship at the University of Calgary in 2025. 

He has received a number of recognitions for his clinical and research work including the Warren Ho Memorial Scholarship by the University of Toronto, Biaggi de Blasys Foundation Award for best doctoral thesis, and the Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation.

His clinical interests include adult spine trauma, degenerative disease, tumours, and infections and hopes to push the intersection of functional neurosurgery and spine surgery to improve neurological function after injury and neurodegenerative disease.  

Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking and following the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Michelle completed her MSc in Biochemistry at UBC Okanagan under the supervision of Dr. Phil Barker and Dr. Julien Gibon, investigating the role of PLCγ1 in TrkA-dependent dorsal root ganglion sensory neuron degeneration using pharmacological inhibition and genetically modified mouse models.  

Before that, she earned her BSc in Biochemistry at UBC, where she conducted her undergraduate thesis on the effects of Baf53b mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder using primary mouse models. 

Michelle is excited to apply this background to the study of spinal cord injury. 

In her free time, she enjoys crocheting amigurumi and flowers, and for outdoor activities she tries her best not to wipe out on a snowboard.