Uriel Kim, a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program in CWRU's SOM and an Associate Trainee Member of the Case CCC, plans to graduate this spring with his MD, although he doesn't lack a plethora of letters behind his name (BS, MPH, PhD, and pending MBA to name a few).
The transplanted Coloradan-by-way-of-California is appreciative of the educational opportunities and accolades he's been afforded, but keeps it real by focusing his research—and passion—on healthcare disparities and community health outcomes related to cancer.
Kim's research focuses on cancer outcomes in individuals from low-income communities, as well as the role that social determinants of health (i.e. socioeconomic, cultural, and systemic factors such as access to safe housing and healthy food options) play in determining health.
“There have been long-standing disparities in cancer stage at diagnosis by socioeconomic status, and following the implementation of the ACA, many of these gaps narrowed substantially," he explains.
Stay tuned for Kim's research on COVID-19's impact on the severity of cancer, to be published soon in Health Affairs.