Laura Kim, Head and Neck Surgeon, Joins ENT Team

Kim spent her childhood in Seoul, Korea. She later moved to Canada, where she completed her undergraduate, masters and medical school at University of Toronto. Kim was drawn to head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction because she finds both fields intellectually inspiring and technically rewarding. She finds the challenge that comes from trying to restore the structural, functional and aesthetic integrity of the head and neck anatomy stimulating. After her residency, she came to Houston to complete a two-year fellowship at MD Anderson in Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular reconstruction. While she was completing her fellowship, she heard great things about Houston Methodist. As luck would have it, she met Kain at an anatomy course. Kain’s experiences, as well as those of others she met from Houston Methodist, cemented what Kim had been hearing, and things started rolling from there, she said. “I realized what an amazing group this would be to work with,” Kim said. Something else that brought Kim to Houston Methodist is the level of patient care, and the support for growth of the physicians. “Houston Methodist focuses a lot on patient care and making sure that everything works smoothly so patients have a good experience. That is one of my research interests as well. That's something that I’m potentially be interested in getting involved with,” she said. It’s a privilege to her to know she can have a such a huge impact on the lives of patients and their family. She has developed a passion for patient education and has worked on projects creating educational materials to assist patients gain a better understanding of their disease. “I enjoy working with the patient population in head and neck oncology and look forward to establishing long term relationships with my patients,” she said. Kim hopes to stay clinically heavy but also help shape the next generation. “I'm very interested in teaching the residents. I really want to get involved with MITIE,” she said, referring to the Methodist Institute for technologie Innovation and Education simulation center. Outside of her medical interests, Kim enjoys painting and graphic design. “I believe my creative side has also helped me appreciate this complex and challenging field,” she said.