Karen Kim, MD, MS, was named dean at the Penn State College
of Medicine in 2023. As the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd
Huck Chair in Rural Health Research, Kim leads the College of
Medicine’s education, research, and clinical missions, the culture
of innovation, and will focus on enhancing team-based
interdisciplinary collaboration across the College of Medicine,
Penn State Health, the University at large and across
commonwealth campuses. As Physician in Chief, Kim plays a
critical role in shaping the academic health system.
In addition to being dean, Kim is a nationally recognized leader in
health disparities research, curricular innovation, and public
policy. Her research focuses on the rigorous development and
evaluation of multi-level strategies to advance cancer health
equity among marginalized and vulnerable populations. As
founder and director of the Center for Asian Health Equity community-academic partnership,
Kim is a national leader in public policies for the inclusion of Asian Americans and underserved
populations in research.
Prior to joining Penn State, Kim served as the Vice Provost for Research and Senior Research
Officer at the University of Chicago, the Sara and Harold Lincoln Thompson Chair and
Professor of Medicine, and Associate Director of the University of Chicago Comprehensive
Cancer Center. During her tenure as Vice Provost for Research, Dr. Kim collaborated with
divisions, schools, centers and institutes across the University and national laboratories to
establish strategic research priorities, significantly increase interdisciplinary research and
funding success and to enhance broader impact through inclusive innovation.
With extensive expertise in community-based participatory research (CBPR), dissemination and
implementation science, intervention, and minority health research, Kim is supported by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute Beau Biden Cancer
Moonshot Initiative, and the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Minority
Health and the National Institutes of Health. Kim leads the State of Illinois’ colorectal cancer
control program across urban and rural regions and has focused on developing innovative
technology-based solutions to address gaps in healthcare services among federally qualified
community and rural health centers.
In addition to her research, Kim is deeply committed to civic engagement and has dedicated
significant time to advancing health through service to numerous nonprofit organizations and
national boards. Kim has been nationally recognized for her advocacy and policy work and
received the International Women’s Leadership Award, the Chicago Foundation for Women
Impact Award, and the Cancer Prevention Laurel for Increasing Health Equity.
She is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Gastroenterological
Association, the American Medical Association, the American Association for Cancer Research,
and the American Public Health Association.
She is the College’s first female dean and the only current Korean-American woman to hold
such a title nationally.
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