Cedars-Sinai has appointed leading urologic oncologist, surgeon and research investigator Hyung Kim, MD, as the inaugural chair of the newly established Department of Urology.

“Dr. Kim is an outstanding clinical and academic leader who will strategically steer our urology enterprise,” said Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai. “A highly accomplished urologic oncologist, surgeon and NIH-funded investigator, he brings a demonstrated commitment to clinical excellence, research innovation and medical education to the new department.”

Kim earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency in urology at the University of Chicago Medical Center and fellowships in urologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Kim joined Cedars-Sinai in 2009 and currently is a professor of Surgery and the Homer and Gloria Harvey Family Chair in Urologic Oncology in honor of Stuart Friedman, MD. He has led Cedars-Sinai’s Academic Urology Program for more than six years.

“During this time, the division has experienced remarkable clinical, research and academic flourishing,” said Jeff Smith, MD, JD, MMM, executive vice president of Hospital Operations and chief operating officer at Cedars-Sinai.

Cedars-Sinai currently ranks #1 among hospitals in Los Angeles County for inpatient urology volume, and the new Department of Urology has accrued more than $6 million in annual NIH funding, placing it among the top five urology programs nationally for NIH-funded research.

Under Kim’s leadership, Urology’s U.S. News & World Report rankings have risen to #3 in the nation and #1 in California.

Kim also has played an instrumental role in creating the Urology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, which now receives 80% of all urology resident applications in the country, allowing Cedars-Sinai to recruit the finest medical students for urology training.

Kim is co-medical director of the Urologic Oncology Center. He specializes in treating complex and challenging cancers of the kidney, prostate and bladder. He is the author of more than 100 high-impact research publications and runs an NIH-funded research laboratory that develops novel cancer therapies. He also is the co-principal investigator of a national Phase III clinical trial testing cytoreductive nephrectomy in patients with metastatic kidney cancer.

“Cedars-Sinai has a world-class urology program consisting of a group of highly renowned surgeons and urologic researchers,” Kim said. “I’m excited about working to further build a collaborative environment where clinicians and researchers can together address some of the foremost challenges in urology health.”

Read more in Cedars-Sinai magazine: Symptoms Men Shouldn’t Ignore