Our New President—Lawrence Kim, MD, MBA, AGAF

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Family and Early Life

Larry was born and raised in New Jersey and is of Korean heritage. As with many immigrant families, the story of his parents is one of hardship and dedication. His father, Philip Kim, was the product of a long line of physicians. His own father, Larry’s grandfather, contracted tuberculosis while completing medical training and passed away when Philip was only 5 years old. As the child of the third son in a rigidly patriarchal society, the boy and his mother subsisted on the mercy of family

Education

As the next step of his educational journey, Princeton was transformative for Larry in many ways. He entered university intending on a medical career, but changed this focus early on, choosing instead to major in public and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School (now the School of Public and International Affairs). There, he encountered the eminent health care economist, Uwe Reinhardt. Possessing boundless intellect, indisputable influence, and Teutonic severity, Professor Reinhardt

Gastroenterology Fellowship

Larry’s fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) began with a whirlwind race across the country to make his July 1 start date. After cobbling together a couple of back-to-back emergency department shifts, he packed up a U-Haul, detoured south to pick up Nhung and their car in New Jersey, and headed west. For 3 days, they were a pair of long-distance truckers, eating sandwiches from a cooler and listening to tunes on an ancient boombox. One night later, he was on the UCSF

South Denver Gastroenterology

Pete said 2 things that completely resonated with Larry’s sensibilities at the time. First, “In 25 years of our practice, we have never taken an associate who did not become a partner.” Second, even more intriguing, “Among seven physicians, we’ve never had a divorce.” Coupled with his fond memories of that summer in medical school, this was enough for Larry to pack up his young family and head to the Mountain West.The group Larry joined in 1998 was a small but innovative practice, which had

AGA Roles

During his third year of residency, Larry presented a poster at Digestive Disease Week. While waiting for the bus to the convention center, his chief resident, Steve Flamm, suggested that he might be a fit for the AGA Trainee Committee, which was seeking new members. Larry applied and thus began his 30-year career as an AGA volunteer.That Trainee Committee was stacked with future gastroenterology leaders: David Rubin, Andrea Reid, Naresh Gunaratnam, Jay Kuemmerle, Lisa Gangarosa, Partha Nandi,

Personal Life

Larry and Nhung are parents of 2 adult children. Rachel is a medical student in Boston, planning a career in “something other than gastroenterology,” and Alex is pursuing graduate study in mechanical and aerospace engineering (Photos 2 and 3). Both were raised to love the mountains, and they return home to Colorado frequently to hike and ski. Larry’s passion for skiing has been undimmed by time, and his perennial goal is to hit the slopes as often as possible. His quest for the perfect turn in

Comments From Peers

Larry has brought academic-level thinking to clinical private practice. These attributes will enable him to be a true bridge builder as president of the AGA.—Larry Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF

The AGA needs a leader who understands the changes happening in the practice of medicine and can represent our members’ diverse concerns. Larry Kim’s career experiences will afford such stewardship for our organization to remain the premier society for all gastroenterologists.—Peter Margolis, MD, AGAF

Genuine,

Summary

Our new AGA President, Dr Lawrence Kim, will bring the same passion and commitment to this role that he has exhibited throughout his professional career. We applaud him on this milestone and look forward to his stewardship of our great organization. As the changes in medicine continue at a rapid pace, we feel confident that Larry will guide and grow the AGA to meet future challenges with thoughtfulness and wisdom. We are fortunate to call him a friend and colleague and wish him hearty