Some unspecified error has occurred.

Kwang Kim

June 9, 1947 - April 1, 2021

Kwang Sik Kim was a loving husband and father. He was also the Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. If you would like to attend the service virtually, please contact Brian (bykim327@gmail.com) or Melissa (melykim@gmail.com). In lieu of sending flowers, and if you are able, please make a donation which will fund an award for physicians in training, which our father was extremely passionate about. https://gofund.me/e89814ba

More... Less...

  • Memories Memories
    One moment please, your post is being saved...
  • Image Image
    To attach an image drag & drop it here or
    One moment please, your post is being saved...
  • Video Video
    Upload a video on YouTube and paste the code here:
    One moment please, your post is being saved...
  • Condolences Condolences
  • Condolences Condolences
    One moment please, your post is being saved...

Filter: Show all labels

  • 2021-04-14 19:49:53 View / Comment (0)
    Carlton Lee

    Carlton Lee

    Carlton Lee

    I want to express my gratitude for all the support Dr. Kim had provided the Pediatric pharmacy and myself from the first day of his arrival to Hopkins. Especially with his willingness to serve as the PI for Pediatric antibiotic development studies. Without this, our team would not have been able to pursue this endeavor. He was always generous with his time and truly demonstrated a personal interest towards everyone's progress and well being. I will miss his impromptu "How are you doing?" check-ins as he passed by our open office doors. A superb scientist, clinician, mentor, and even better human being.

  • 2021-04-14 17:53:15 View / Comment (0)
    Miriam Laufer

    Miriam Laufer

    Miriam Laufer

    I had the honor of being the first fellow that Dr. Kim hired at Hopkins! It was before iPhones so no cute cell phone shots to share. He was always kind and supportive. Even when I chose a non-traditional route, he helped me to think through my options and find a path that would work for me. I always looked forward to catching up with him when visiting Hopkins. I will miss him.

  • 2021-04-09 22:16:31 View / Comment (0)

    Jennifer Jubulis

    It is a great honor to have trained with Dr. Kim. He was always so supportive of the fellows, and had a love of teaching that I have tried to emulate. I find myself quizzing our trainees with the same questions he always asked us. He was a rare physician who excelled at bench research, clinical care, and teaching of students residents and fellows. We are all fortunate to have trained under his expertise.

  • 2021-04-09 20:37:14 View / Comment (0)
    Atish Prakash

    Atish Prakash

    Atish Prakash

    Dr Kim was my post-doctoral mentor. When I joined his research lab in 2016, he framed my career to infection biology. He revealed to me my real potential and helped me realize that I really can do anything I set my mind to. Every interaction was a learning moment for me. I still remember his strong encouragement to me to make career in CNS infection field. He was incredibly open-minded and sensitive to students who came from different backgrounds and those with unique needs. He was a very good teacher and, by all accounts, a very good gentle humble person. Dr. Kim, you will be missed. You were a kind and caring mentor. I will miss him. To his family and friends, please accept my warmest condolences for great loss. Atish Prakash

  • 2021-04-09 17:47:11 View / Comment (0)

    Anna Sick-Samuels

    It is such an honor to have trained with Dr. Kim as a pediatric infectious disease fellow and then after joining the peds ID division. Dr. Kim was invested in supporting new pediatric infectious doctors and researchers. He always encouraged me to connect with experts in the field and try to learn from every patient encounter or research dilemma. I will remember Dr. Kim as a dedicated explorer in the pursuit of better understanding of why infections happen and how we can treat them. He never hesitated to support me in reviewing a grant application or feeling out new project ideas. I will save these marked up documents to remember his advice for years to come :) When I felt defeated with another grant rejection, he reminded me that the next application will now be even better because of this rejection. He offered a wealth of knowledge, perspective and experience. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to learn from him. We will miss him.

  • 2021-04-09 05:00:09 View / Comment (1)
    Alice Hsu

    Alice Hsu

    Alice Hsu

    Dr. Kim from 2011. When I started pharmacy residency in 2007, Dr. Kim asked the Department of Pharmacy for a pharmacist to round with the Division of Peds ID. I remember thinking to myself at the time how wonderful of an opportunity that would be, because I knew very early on in my training that I wanted to practice in peds ID. This position stayed vacant for 2 years during my residency training, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview with Dr. Kim, and was offered the position. Fast forward 12 years, I have so many fond memories of rounding with Dr. Kim that accumulated over the years. Dr. Kim was so dedicated to teaching, he had a set of questions he liked to quiz the fellows and residents on, which included things like "what is the average CSF turn over rate?", "what are the 5 reasons to use rifampin?". Dr. Kim and I would joke sometimes that recently we could only think of 4 reasons to use rifampin, the 5th reason escapes us and we couldn't think of it! But there definitely used to be 5 reasons. Sometimes when the fellow is talking to the teams, Dr. Kim and I would stand in the hallway and chat about life, family, the weather. I liked picking his brain about things, ask him what he would do in certain scenarios. Another thing I have learned after many years of rounding with Dr. Kim, is that you start rounds at the top of the children's center, because if you start at the ground floor of the children's center, Dr. Kim would make the whole team walk up the stairs to see each patient. And usually by the time we make it to the top, we are all huffing and puffing and Dr. Kim looks fine! Certain words he would say or the way he would pronounce them always made me smile, he called cardiac vegetations "veggies", and when he would say "debridement" he had almost a European accent. I will miss dearly these daily interactions with Dr. Kim. You will always be with us Dr. Kim, in our thoughts and in our hearts.

  • 2021-04-09 02:37:25 View / Comment (0)
    Moshe Arditi

    Moshe Arditi

    Moshe Arditi

    Remember he had very important life before Hopkins at LA Children's Hospital. I was his first faculty recruit - at Children's Hospital LA in 1991. He was my Mentor for 9 yrs and even after he moved to J Hopkins- and I moved to Cedars Sinai - he continued to mentor me. I owe my academic success t him. He was the key person who played a major role in my development as a successful physician scientist- and I clearly owe my academic success to him, to the rigor and discipline, perseverance, and most of all the love and the THRILL of discovering a new scientific findings that he instilled in me. I remember getting cow brain to isolate the bovine brain micro vessel ECs in our lab and immortalized them. So many people have used them after that for years. I received my first NIH grant when I was with him at LA Children's. After he left to Hopkins, and I moved to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in LA, I built a Peds ID Division after his model, and now have 21 yrs of continuous NIH funding , and 6 other faculty members in our Division also became NIH funded- so he is the one who really passed on this success to me.I wanted everyone to know this. Here is a memory I will never forget and told this to Melissa: It was hard as an Assistant Professor - when he recruited me to LA Children's Hospital -to keep up with that rigor and the hard work in the lab , hard to learn to apply for grants and write papers and being on the clinical service and balance it with family life , and I will never forget during one of the ICAAC or IDSA meetings while we were sharing a hotel room together for the meeting and we went jogging in the morning, he told me that one of the greatest pleasures that he has was to run in mornings and think with excitement of which experiments he can plan and do the next day in the lab!. At that time , I was too young and naive, and I remember thinking “ that’s crazy – who thinks like that way ?“. Many years later after I moved to Cedars Sinai Medical Center and built my own Lab and Peds ID Division, got my own Grants and hired my own team – I realized exactly what he meant – and I realized that I became just like him –and that I do the same thing about the planning what experiments to do next and the excitement and thrill I get when discovering something new ---- and it bring tears to my eyes when I type this - but he was the one who instilled this in me – and I am passing it on to the next generation. There is nothing more thrilling in life than investigating something in the lab and making a new discovery. I am eternally thankful to my mentor Dr. Kim. Moshe Arditi, MD

  • 2021-04-07 03:52:49 View / Comment (0)
    Erica Prochaska

    Erica Prochaska

    Erica Prochaska

    As a first year Infectious Diseases fellow, I was struck by how joyful Dr. Kim was to find a teaching moment. When he asked me a question, I would know if I was incorrect, because he would start smiling. He would always be so excited to teach me the correct answer, often saying: "You are not thinking about things correctly..." He was a kind, supportive, and gracious teacher. I will always remember him giving me advice on how to learn during fellowship: "Learn one thing from each patient. Not five things, but one thing, and you'll be fine."

  • 2021-04-07 01:59:21 View / Comment (0)
    James Ohn

    James Ohn

    James Ohn

    Why didn’t I know that he was sick? I should have seen him more often, or called him occasionally and asked him how he was doing. In old days, he used to call me “촌닭”, yet he spoke with thick 광주 dialect. I often visited him without notice and we sat in a tea house for hours talking mostly what we are going to do after graduation. He shied away from clinical practice and money. Instead he chose to be a researcher and a professor and he told me he is one of best in his field if not the best years ago. I think he carried out what he told me when he was a student. He was a nicest guy in the world and I miss him very much. It is so sad that all I can do now is to visit his tomb.

  • 2021-04-06 03:11:47 View / Comment (0)
    Adeline Koay

    Adeline Koay

    Adeline Koay

    Dr Kim with the fellows ~2.5 years ago. He never used so many words to say it, but he was very proud of all of the fellows, almost like a parent is proud of their children. There were some days that Dr Kim would remind me of my own dad with his mannerisms and little tidbits on life. Dr Kim was always quite private, but I will always remember one year when I asked him about his family, and he beamed when he shared about his children's accomplishments. As hard as he worked, his family was his rock.

  • 2021-04-06 00:07:46 View / Comment (0)
    Paul Sue

    Paul Sue

    Paul Sue

    I will remember the kindness Dr. Kim showed when I fell ill during my first year of fellowship. It placed a profound strain on the entire division, and I was quite burdened with guilt. Dr. Kim firmly told me not to worry, to focus on whatever I needed to do to recover, and to come back. Simple. Straightforward. Kind. His confidence that I would do so was exactly what I needed to push through a challenging time. I remain grateful to him to this day, and will always aspire to build others up in the same way he did. Thank you Dr. Kim! Rest in peace. - Paul S

  • 2021-04-03 11:44:43 View / Comment (0)
    Nadine Peart

    Nadine Peart

    Nadine Peart

    Dr. Kim was an excellent mentor and a caring and thoughtful Division head. He was a strong advocate for the fellows in the ID program at Hopkins, and I will always remember how he fully supported the development of our careers. I will fondly remember his few but encouraging words and his remarkably surprising strength. I know he is at peace now, and I am praying for the strength now of his family during this difficult time. Rest in peace and power Dr. Kim.

  • 2021-04-02 23:09:02 View / Comment (0)
    Adeline Koay

    Adeline Koay

    Adeline Koay

    First holiday party I attended at the ID Division. I will always remember Dr Kim’s generosity and inclusivity with holiday parties! He wanted everyone to enjoy and relax. It was in this same conference room that the fellows did frequent presentations, and Dr Kim was the one attending who was always there even when he was busy. While he will surely be missed, there are so many aspects of his life that we can celebrate!

  • 2021-04-02 21:32:20 View / Comment (0)
    Pranita Tamma

    Pranita Tamma

    Pranita Tamma

    Kwang Sik Kim was a Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health, and the Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He was a very kind and supportive leader who will be missed for his professional and personal contributions to Johns Hopkins and the field of infectious diseases. Dr. Kim received his medical degree in 1971 from Seoul National University in Korea. After serving three years in the Korean Air Force, he completed a pediatric residency at Louisiana State University and a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He subsequently became the Division Head of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Kim was recruited in 2000 to Johns Hopkins as the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Dr. Kim’s major scientific contributions were in the area of central nervous system infections. His work was amongst the earliest to demonstrate the mechanisms used by pathogens to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and cause neurologic disease. He had tireless passion to advance our collective understanding of the pathogenesis, prevention, and therapy of neurologic infections. Dr. Kim’s blood-brain barrier model has been used by investigators throughout the world to understand central nervous system infection and inflammation. In addition, his blood-brain barrier model was the basis for establishing novel concepts such as the neurovascular impact of Alzheimer’s disease and transendothelial migration of monocytes into the brain as a major contributing factor to HIV encephalopathy. Dr. Kim’s research program was supported by NIH R01 grants since 1984, resulting in more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and innumerable national and international lectureships. His work has been cited more than 29,000 times. In addition to his scientific rigor, Dr. Kim was committed to mentorship and training. Since arriving at Johns Hopkins in 2000, he secured and maintained a T32 training grant for the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division that has led to the development of many nationally recognized leaders in the field of pediatric infectious diseases. His encouragement, support, and mentorship for young investigators and physician scientists will always be remembered. We offer condolences to his wife and two children. We will remember Dr. Kim as a giant in the field of infectious diseases. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. With heavy hearts, The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division

  • 2021-04-02 20:58:32 View / Comment (0)
    Candita Polk

    Candita Polk

    Candita Polk

    Dr. Kim really enjoyed the Division's annual winter parties. I snapped this photos of him with a few of the faculty and fellows in 2017 and 2018. I will miss you Dr. Kim. Your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Candi Polk

  • 2021-04-02 20:59:16 View / Comment (0)
    Candita Polk

    Candita Polk

    Candita Polk

    Dr. Kim really enjoyed the Division's annual winter parties. I snapped this photos of him with a few of the faculty and fellows in 2017 and 2018. I will miss you Dr. Kim. Your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Candi Polk

  • Candita Polk 2021-04-02 20:59:16 wrote: Dr. Kim really enjoyed the Division's annual winter parties. I snapped this photos of him with a few of the faculty and fellows in 2017 and 2018. I will miss you Dr. Kim. Your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Candi Polk

    Comments (0)

    • No comments.