City of Hope Vice Physician-in-Chief Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A, Recognized as a Top Diversity Leader in U.S. Healthcare

Kim is honored by Modern Healthcare magazine for lifelong advocacy for equity in cancer research and care

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, announced today that Vice Physician-in-Chief Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., has been named a 2023 Modern Healthcare Top Diversity Leader. The prestigious honor recognizes diverse health care executives and organizations influencing policy and care delivery across the country.

Kim, who also serves as physician-in-chief and senior vice president at City of Hope Orange County and is the Construction Industries Alliance City of Hope Orange County Physician-in-Chief Chair, was recognized for his trailblazing work in making clinical trial studies more inclusive and recruiting diverse faculty at City of Hope Orange County’s cancer center. This is the second time Kim — a renowned lung cancer expert and physician-executive — has earned this recognition.

“Thank you to Modern Healthcare for this honor and for recognizing the importance of ensuring that all members of our community — regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, income or zip code — have equitable access to lifesaving cancer research and treatment,” Kim said. “Nineteen out of 20 patients with cancer cannot enroll in clinical trials because of rigid and antiquated eligibility criteria. We have been working hard to change that and are continuing this important work.”

Kim led American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research to develop, publish and promote new recommendations for changing cancer trial eligibility requirements, helping reverse an age-old blind spot and making trials more accessible to diverse patient populations. The group has focused on 10 areas where eligibility criteria could and should be expanded and are continuing this work.

“In championing this issue, Ed has brought about transformational change, providing new opportunities for more people to receive what is often their best hope for effective cancer treatment,” said Richard L. Schilsky, M.D., who worked closely with Kim in his former roles as ASCO president and ASCO chief medical officer and executive vice president.

In preparing for the opening of City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center — an academic cancer center in Irvine, California, Kim recruited a team of renowned, multilingual physician-scientists, developed crucial partnerships in the community and built new clinical programs.

Under Kim’s leadership, City of Hope established a first-of-its-kind, national integrative oncology program that brings together the best of Eastern and Western medicine to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

“Ed is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone we serve has equitable access to advanced cancer care,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County. “Our patients, staff and physicians benefit immensely from his leadership as we continue to expand our services and partner with the community.”

For his legacy of contributions, Kim has been honored by numerous organizations, including Friends of Cancer Research, as well as California State Sen. Dave Min.

“I am proud to extend my congratulations to Dr. Kim for this distinguished award,” Min said. “As the saying goes: “If you can see it, you can be it.’ Dr. Kim is not only a role model for young people of color who aspire to become medical professionals, but a champion for diversity and inclusion in research, access and patient care.”

Kim is among the country’s foremost experts in molecular prognostication — which advances cancer detection and personalized therapies — for lung, head and neck cancers. His groundbreaking research, highlighted by the seminal 2012 BATTLE study, revolutionized the field by introducing personalized therapies for lung cancer, resulting in significantly improved patient outcomes.

Kim has served as a principal/co-principal investigator on numerous studies and protocols and authored/co-authored more than 250 published articles, book chapters and reviews in top-tier journals, such as The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Cancer, Nature Medicine, and Cancer Prevention Research.

Modern Healthcare will recognize Kim at a gala in Chicago on Dec. 7.

About City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center at its core, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, and treatment facilities in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix. City of Hope’s affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope^TM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.