Education

• B.A. Department of Biology, Chung-Buk National University, Republic of Korea 1999
• M.S. Division of Molecular and Life Science, POSTECH, Republic of Korea 2002
• Ph.D. Division of Molecular and Life Science, POSTECH, Republic of Korea 2006
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Molecular and Life Science, POSTECH, Republic of Korea 2006-2007
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center 2007-2012
• Instructor, Department of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center 2012-2013
• Instructor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center 2013-2020

Summary of Experience

Dr. Kim built a strong and broad background in the area of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, and pharmacology during her PhD training at POSTECH in South Korea. In order to gain experience in translational cancer research to pursue her postdoctoral training, she joined the Department of Cancer Biology under the mentorship of Dr. Raymond DuBois, former previous Provost and Executive Vice President and Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at UTMDACC. Her major research in Dr. DuBois’s lab was to elucidate the regulation mechanism between tumor and inflammatory mediators including COX-2/PGE2, to identify potential therapeutic targets for colorectal cancer prevention and treatment, and to evaluate new drugs targeting COX-2 by using a cancer mouse model.

She gained extensive experience and knowledge on translational cancer research during her stay in Dr. DuBois’s lab. She is a former Instructor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Grimm. Her major research goal was to elucidate the regulation mechanism between tumor and tumor microenvironment and identify potential therapeutic targets for melanoma treatment. She mostly concentrated on inflammatory lipid metabolite, prostaglandins, and nitric oxide pathway, attempted to target them or block these pathways for a control of melanoma tumor growth and metastasis.