Seung K. Kim
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Seung K. Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, the oldest of three boys. His father had escaped North Korea at the beginning of the Korean Conflict, and he eventually became a doctor. His mother was from a large family in Seoul; she was a pharmacist, owning her own pharmacy. When Kim was about two his father took a job in a hospital in Johnson City, New York; he then accepted a position at the University of Pennsylvania. The family arrived when Kim was about three. They were intending to return to South Korea when Kim's father finished his radiology training, but visa uncertainty due to the Vietnam War caused them to decide to stay here. Kim began school in a Roman Catholic school in Philadelphia, but the family moved back to Johnson City when Kim was in second grade. They spent two years there before moving to Vestal, a suburb of Binghamton. Kim was, he says, obsessed with baseball, playing and reading about it. He also began to go fishing with his father, who had liked to fish in Korea. Fishing also provided Kim with an experiment for his seventh-grade science class. His teacher for that class was influential, by taking Kim seriously and by encouraging him. Mr. Jason, the science teacher, even told Kim's father that he thought Kim could go to Harvard, which was, as Kim says, "the Everest" of colleges in his father's mind. A friend who went to Phillips Exeter Academy told Kim about the school at Thanksgiving, and Kim spent the rest of the school year persuading his parents to send him there and then having to go through the application process. He was accepted and began three of his happiest years when he was a sophomore. He had finally found an academic atmosphere that suited and challenged him, and he loved it. He especially loved math and his math teachers, but he also began to discover experimentation, one summer designing for himself a chemistry experiment to work on when he began school in the fall. He talks here about a number of his teachers who were excellent and whom he still remembers by name. He entered Harvard University, which he found large, anonymous, and somewhat disappointing after Exeter, until he had a biochemistry class taught by Mark Ptashne, Tom Maniatis, and Douglas Melton. Here Kim talks about his college laboratory experience with Richard Goldstein; the process of writing; and his summer tour-guide job in Paris, a job that showed him how much he liked to lecture. He describes his tutelage under James Rheinwald at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; his exposure to the literature and history of his field of research; and his decision to pursue a career in medicine. Kim applied to medical school and became discouraged by the interview process. Urged by Goldstein, he accepted a late interview invitation from Stanford University, where he met Stanley Cohen. He found California beautiful and decided to attend Stanford. There he entered the MD/PhD program and worked in Dale Kaiser's biochemistry laboratory studying cell signaling during development. He discusses his experiences in the MD/PhD program at Stanford; his interest in oncology; and his residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital. On his first day as an intern he met the woman who became his wife. He accepted a fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and then he did a postdoc on pancreas development in Douglas Melton's lab. He goes into great detail about his wife's career, also in medicine. Next he talks about his collaboration with Matthias Hebrok and his research on pancreas development. He accepted a position at Stanford University in developmental biology and set up his lab. He explains his laboratory management style and his role in the laboratory and goes on to talk about his administrative duties; the personnel make-up of his lab; and how he sets the research agenda of his laboratory. He continues with a discussion of his current research using three model systems to study pancreas development and function and insulin production; the practical applications of his research; the issue of patents; balancing family and career; the percentage of women and minorities as graduate students and principal investigators; and the process of writing journal articles. Kim concludes his interview with lessons he has learned; his reasons for becoming a principal investigator; and the qualities of a good scientist.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Harvard College | BA | Biochemical Sciences |
1992 | Stanford University | MD | |
2017 | Stanford University | PhD | Biochemistry |
Professional Experience
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Stanford University
StemCells, Inc.
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1981 to 1985 | John Harvard Scholarship and Harvard College Scholarship |
1984 to 1985 | Josephine de Karman Fellowship in Humanities, Harvard College |
1985 | L.J. Henderson Prize for Honors Thesis in Biochemical Sciences, Harvard College |
1985 | Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for Honors Thesis in Biochemical Sciences, Harvard College |
1987 to 1992 | Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University |
1999 to 2000 | Citation of excellence from the Committee on Courses and Clerkships, Stanford University Medical School, for instruction in Surgery 21 9A |
1999 to 2000 | Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine Junior Faculty Award |
1999 to 2001 | Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Award |
1999 to 2001 | SmithKline Beecham Junior Faculty Award |
1999 to 2003 | Pew Charitable Trusts Biomedical Research Scholar |
1999 to 2003 | American Diabetes Association Career Development Award |
2000 to 2001 | Citation of excellence from the Committee on Courses and Clerkships, Stanford University Medical School, for instruction in Developmental Biology 206 |
2001 to 2002 | Citation of excellence from the Committee on Courses and Clerkships, Stanford University Medical School, for instruction in Developmental Biology 206 |
2002 | A.L. Chapman Keynote Lecturer, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Student Research Forum |
2002 | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Preclinical Teaching Stanford University Medical School |
2002 | Guest Professor, University of Ulm School of Medicine, Ulm, Germany |
2002 to 2003 | Citation of excellence from the Committee on Courses and Clerkships, Stanford University Medical School, for instruction in Developmental Biology 206 |
2002 to 2004 | Verto Institute Research Award |
2002 to 2005 | Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Research Award |
2002 to 2005 | Stanford University School of Medicine Program in Molecular and Genetic Medicine Interdisciplinary Translational Research Award |
2002 to 2006 | Program Project Grant, Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Research Network |
2003 to 2004 | Stanford Cancer Council Award |
2003 to 2006 | Riva Foundation Research Award |
2004 | Living and Giving Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Northern California Chapter |
2004 | Randall-Dewey Family Endowment, Stanford University School of Medicine |
2004 to 2007 | Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Program Project Grant |
2004 to 2007 | Giles W. and Elise G. Mead Foundation, Research Award |
2005 to 2007 | The Stephen and Caroline Kaufer Fund for Neuroendocrine Tumor Research |
2005 to 2007 | Stanford University Technology Incentive Research Award |
2005 to 2008 | Snyder Foundation Research Award |
Table of Contents
Family background. Parents. Move from Korea to the United States. Childhoodinterests and experiences. Early schooling. Baseball. Influential junior highschool teacher. Attends high school at Phillips Exeter Academy. High schoolexperiences. Attends Harvard University. Defining moment in a course taughtby Mark Ptashne, Tom Maniatis, and Douglas A. Melton. College laboratoryexperience with Richard Goldstein. Process of writing. Summer job in Paris. Tutelage under James Rheinwald at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Exposureto the literature and history of his field of research. Decision to pursue a careerin medicine.
Applies to medical school. Meets Stanley N. Cohen. First impressions ofCalifornia. Decision to attend Stanford University. Impact of attending HarvardUniversity on professional life. Enters the MD/PhD program. Works in DaleKaiser's biochemistry laboratory studying cell signaling during development. Experiences in the MD/PhD program. Interest in oncology. Residency atBrigham and Women's Hospital. Meets wife. Fellowship at the Dana-FarberCancer Institute. Wife's career. Postdoctoral fellowship on pancreas developmentin Douglas Melton's laboratory.
Collaboration with Matthias Hebrok. More on research on pancreas development. Accepts a position at Stanford University in developmental biology. More onwife's career. Setting up lab. Laboratory management style. Role in thelaboratory.
Administrative duties. The personnel make-up of lab. Setting the research agendaof his laboratory. Current research using three model systems to study pancreasdevelopment and function and insulin production. Practical applications ofresearch. Patents. Balancing family and career. Percentage of women andminorities as graduate students and principal investigators. Writing journalarticles. Lessons learned. Reasons for becoming a principal investigator. Qualitiesof a good scientist.