Kenneth Kim

Kenneth Kwanyoung Kim (born April 4, 1972) is a Korean born, Korean-American board certified plastic surgeon and medical researcher residing in Southern California. Kim is an active member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the Dream Medical Group. He currently is in private practice in Los Angeles and specializes in Asian aesthetic surgery.

Early life and education
Kim was born in Seoul, Korea to nurse Sun Ae Kim and banker Seuk Doo Kim. Kim is the youngest of four children and has an older brother, David D. Kim, who also went into medicine. He lived with his family in South Korea until 1981, when his family moved to Southern California during the early years of his adolescence. Kim's decision to go into medicine was influenced by his mother, who fell sick with a chronic heart condition when Kim was just a boy.

Kim studied Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, where he was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship and was also inducted as a junior into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Following UC Berkeley, Kim received a 4-year scholarship to study medicine at Yale University, where he received his M.D.. Kim later completed a 7-year residency at Northwestern University. Kim has done research in plastic surgery in North America, Europe, Canada, South America, and Asia.

Research
Kim is best known for his work in plastic and reconstructive surgery. At Yale, Kim was granted the Yale Department of Surgery Research Award and became a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, where he won the award for student research training. Consequently, Kim led the research on growth factors and tissue regeneration at the molecular and cellular level. His work led to a first author publication in the scientific journal, Gene, in 2006. During this time, Kim was inducted into Switzerland's AO Craniomaxillofacial Research and Development Fellowship. As an AO Fellow, Kim led the research on ways to prevent injury during ocular surgery through minimally invasive surgical techniques. His work was published in "Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery" in 2007.

Kim also led the research on using a person's own rib cartilage to autoaugment the tip and bridge of the nose. His work was presented to the Rhinoplasty Society on April 28, 2005 and led to a first author publication in 2007. In 2008, Kim conducted research on ways to autoaugment a sagging breast without the use of an implant, which was presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgery Annual Meeting in 2008, and published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2010.

Practice
Kim is partnered with Dream Medical Group, and is the only non-Seoul National University graduate to become a member. In Korea, Kim developed his skill in Asian aesthetic surgery, and in particular, the double-eyelid crease surgery. According to the Korea Herald, Kim's plastic surgery patients were "impressed" with his eyelid, eyelid revision, breast, nose, dark circle correction, and wrinkle correction procedures. Dr. Kim has also been recognized by the Korean American community for offering free cosmetic surgery procedures. According to one article, people were "spreading the word" about his free ptosis surgeries, which Dr. Kim offered to needy patients on a weekly basis.

Teaching
Kim is also an appointed Assistant Clinical Professor at University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He teaches last year Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residents at VA Hospital.