DR . WHO Junoh Kim , MD by KATHRYN VANCE
“
As
I was growing up , I always had higher expectations for myself of what I wanted to do . It was sometimes difficult to stay focused and delayed gratification was a challenge throughout school , but I always knew I could make it . I could do it .”
After emigrating to the U . S . from Seoul ,
South Korea at 8 years old with his two older sisters , Dr . Junoh Kim ’ s family called the Radcliff / Ft . Knox area home . His father , a tailor by trade , had emigrated years earlier , looking for jobs and to start a life for their family . Unfortunately , his mother was unable to make the journey due to health problems and passed away a year after her children departed . Throughout high school , Dr . Kim excelled in courses across the board , but took a special interest in debate and history . After graduating as the valedictorian , he entered college at the University of Louisville – the full-ride scholarship made becoming a Cardinal a no-brainer . He was a political science and philosophy major , but also pre-med , keeping his options open to pursuing law or medicine .
“ My thought was always that college is an experience that allows you to broaden your horizons and learn about things you ’ re passionate about , not just to get a certification to become a professional in something . So I decided to learn what I was passionate about ,” he said . By his junior year , he knew what he wanted his future to hold . “ I decided I was more of a people person , and I could use my talents better going into the medical profession . I ’ d have liked to do both if I could ’ ve .”
He graduated in 1994 and started medical school , also at UofL . While he felt confident in his decision , this new chapter proved to be daunting .
“ My colleagues and I were sort of disillusioned about sitting in lecture halls for 10 hours a day , and the general sentiment among first- and second-year medical students was that this was not what we thought it was going to be . At the end of the first year , everybody really does a gut check ,” he said . “ There ’ s something called Black Monday at UofL after the first couple of months where you take all these exams on the same day . After that , you have about 10 % of students who drop out and another half thinking ‘ Did I make the right choice ?’ After the first year and second year , you learn a lot more clinically relevant stuff and realize that this is what you wanted to do .”
Luckily , he persisted , and was soon applying and interviewing at residency programs across the country . While he loved the Bluegrass , he was ready for a change .
“ When I applied to residency , I knew one thing for certain : I wasn ’ t going to stay in Kentucky any longer . So I said I ’ d go as far out west as possible .”
To his delight , he matched at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix , Arizona , his number one choice . One of the reasons it topped his list was because they were one of five programs in the country to offer a combined med-psych residency program . Ultimately , he chose to focus on medicine , but never lost his interest in psychiatry . He remembered the very first day as an intern when ( continued on page 38 )
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