Having only briefly considered the pre-med path, Woojin Kim was drawn to the stories of history and, after graduation, was considering grad school in that discipline. But a cold call to a fellow alum, who introduced him to the world of medicine, ended up changing his course. Find out how even though life's not a race, sometimes you need help finding the starting line.
Guest Woojin Kim, Dartmouth ’96, didn’t have a clear idea of how he wanted to approach college so he briefly considered being pre-med or pre-law. But after taking a broad range of courses, he realized history spoke to him and enjoyed it so much that he was considering a master’s degree in the discipline after college with an eye toward the professorate.
Back at home preparing applications for the following year, he consulted the list of Dartmouth alumni in his area and planned to reach out to a few for informational interviews to make sure he’d considered a range of options. He reached out first to a doctor who ultimately changed the path of his life.
In this episode, find out from Woojin how even though life’s not a race, sometimes you need help finding the starting line.....on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.
About This Episode's Guest
Woojin Kim is a triple-Ivy educated gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medicine and the director of interventional endoscopy at City of Hope, the comprehensive cancer center in southern California. He is passionate about the prevention and treatment of gastro-intestinal cancers, including both research and therapeutic procedural interventions.
Woojin Kim: it's not a race. It may seem like a race, but it's not. It's really is finding your passion, your path. When I left Hanover in ’96, I really had zero clue or zero direction that I was going to end up here in this career path 25 years later. So it's really been a joy ride and [I’m] very thankful for all this.
Leslie Jennings Rowley: Having only briefly considered the pre-med path, Woojin Kim was drawn to the stories of history and after graduation was considering grad school in that discipline. But a cold call to a fellow alum who introduced him to the world of medicine ended up changing his course Find out how, even though life's not a race, sometimes you need help finding the starting line…on today's Roads Taken with me, Leslie Jennings Rowley.
So I'm here today with Woojin Kim and we are going to talk about the invariable twists and turns of life when we are 25 years out of college. So, Woojin, welcome.
WK: Good to be here. And thank you, Leslie, for making this happen. It's really just a, just a joy to be here.
LJR: Great. So we start these every time with the same two questions and they are when we were in college, who were you? And when we were leaving, who did you think you would become?
WK: You know, to be honest, I didn't know what I was going to do in college. I thought about a lot of things. I think when I first got there, like a lot of the kids, I was thinking maybe should I go into pre-med route. Should I go into pre-law? Should I study something totally different, maybe corporate, you know, finances? Who knows. And then I took some classes in a broad spectrum of things and really enjoyed all different kinds of great teachings that Dartmouth had to offer. And, and I eventually settled at a history major, which I liked the best and seemed to kind of, you know, really learn about things that I really cherished.
And then when I left Dartmouth in 96, I don't know if I really even knew what I was going to do, even at that point. I knew I just wanted to kind of explore and you know, at 22 leaving college, I was thinking, what am I going to do with my life?
But it was fantastic for years. I learned a lot. I think being in college for me was learning like most of us is just learning about ourselves more and kind of just exploring who you are for the first time. And so Dartmouth was the most, looking back, was the most fantastic place for that.
LJR: So, how did you do that? Was it through organizations you're part of, or how did you find who you were during that time?
WK: Yeah, I think it's friends, you know, it's the classmates, the people various different people, you know, just open your eyes and, you know, not just through classes and that's a huge part obviously, but just interacting with just each one of us. And being away from home really for the first time and, uh, Hanover, New Hampshire, I think you and I both come from DC area. Is that right?
LJR: That’s right, that’s right. Good memory.
WK: So I think, um, coming back and being in New Hampshire and just kind of I think just every year was a learning process. And I don't know if it was ever the classes that really, you know, as sure I enjoyed my professors in classes and lectures, but I think it was just being in just the discussions that we would have with each other, the friendships that you've formed for lifelong, and just. I think that's looking back, it wasn't just one thing to particularly being in part of the, you know, different clubs or, or choirs or anything like that. It was more just the whole overall process of four years being there with one another. And, um, I think that was key for me.
LJR: Yeah. Excellent. So when we were wrapping our time up there, you said you didn't really know what you were going to do, but what were your…what did you feel like your options were at that point?
WK: So I thought about, I enjoyed history so much. Maybe I thought about applying for grad school. So I wasn't sure, but I thought that's what I was going to do. And so I went back to DC area and I was just kind of going through different alumni chapter networks and channels through Dartmouth. And while I was working for this nonprofit organization in DC, I also, you know, reached out to one of the alumni.
He happened to be one of the doctors at Hopkins and I reached out to him. I wasn't necessarily looking at going to medical school or field, but it was just kind of…he was one of the mentors that were listed there. So I figured maybe get some input from him [since he] was nearby. And then he introduced me to his colleague who was a pulmonologist at Hopkins at the time, and so a lung doctor.
And so I went to kind of talk with him. And he became sort of this, my mentor figure during that year, while I was still working in DC and trying to figure out, you know, take my exams and get prepared to apply for grad school. He really opened my eyes about maybe what medical field was. You know, I didn't really know in college what medical field was or being a pre-med was. I kind of took a couple of classes for a year or two, and like most of us, like, ahh I’m not going to do that. And then, he really opened my eyes about what medicine was. He showed me not only clinical practice—I was able to spend some time with his residents at the hospital there in the intensive care unit—but also to be in the lab with him and research, which I really enjoyed with him, too. That encouraged me to apply to medical school. So I sort of did a whole complete turn and then decided not to apply for grad school in history. And I applied instead to post-bacc programs because I had to finish my pre-med requirements. So I did that and ended up in New York City, and did my post-bacc at Columbia University there. And that was fantastic because it was kind of like my second college experience in a way. I was taking classes with the undergrads there in New York City, instead of Hanover, New Hampshire became my background. But that really was the sort of unexpected next turn that I took from college.
LJR: Yeah. And it was like that prolonged period of figuring out who you are, right? More conversations, more, you know, who am I, who am I going to be now that I've kind of chosen this path? Because that is a pretty big undertaking to say, I'm on this path now. Did you have an idea of the…I mean, this pulmonologist kind of helped you see the richness of lab and practice, but did you have a thought, like, I want to emulate this person or I'm going to go find what lights my fire in medicine?
WK: I think he really did influence me a lot. Just like the fact that he kind of took me this recent college grad [who] really didn't know what he was doing and showed me. It’s just that mentorship really, I think, was what, opened my mind initially.
And then once I got to New York and taking pre-med classes, then I kind of had to find my own path. So I was working part time at the local hospital there, as a, actually a technician in the pulmonary function lab and doing clinical work, earning a little bit of money on the side and then going to classes both morning and evening to fulfill my requirements and then eventually go medical school, which led me to Providence, Rhode Island. I went to Brown for my medical school. So, three schools and it was amazing just to kind of get experience up to three different campuses and their students. And I think that really, really, I was fortunate to be part of all three of them.
LJR: Yeah. An ivy trifecta, right? So all of that from basically a cold call, alumni outreach? I think that's pretty amazing. And you did kind of follow in those footsteps for a good while. So talk to us about your specialty in medicine.
WK: Sure. I'm currently a gastroenterologist. I’m a little bit more specialized in the field of interventional gastroenterology. So, that basically deals with more therapeutic procedures that is done through the endoscopy. So, you know, we think of like colonoscopy, we think of endoscopy, not so fun procedures for most of us. And you know, we're all kind of approaching the age of 50 now. And so we all have to kind of be aware of it for screening colonoscopy. But we use that endoscopy to use different modalities, including x-ray and ultrasound to really focus more on cancer. And actually, I am currently working at City of Hope Cancer Center, [a] national medical center here in California and near LA. I just actually started this job about a month ago. I was working at Kaiser Permanente here in Southern California for the past, almost seven years after my training and that, you know, that took me back and forth between California and East coast. So, the one thing that I really, and I love this, this title, you know, the Roads Taken basically because, you know, we…when I left Hanover in ’96, I really had zero clue or zero direction that I was going to end up here in this career path 25 years later. So it's really been a joy ride and I’m very thankful for all this.
LJR: Yeah. Right. And I, I loathe asking doctors this, because it seems unfair. But do you have a life outside of medicine? I know so many that don't. But I have this feeling that you do. So tell us about that.
WK: You know, one of the things I really enjoyed, about California's because of the weather. And so, you know, when I did my fellowship out here at UCLA, I was surrounded by the…I could go hiking and enjoy the sun at the beach. And I live like about a mile away from the beach here. So it's really just fantastic. Just really enjoying the outdoors, all four seasons. And I also very much enjoy like different cuisines. And, you know, just like in New York, New Jersey here, it's very multicultural and different…the food that you could have. The best Mexican food, the Korean food, you know, just all kinds of different food here.
LJR: So. You love your career now. You love the work you're doing. It's very impactful. Is there any part of you that kind of wishes you had jumped on that pre-med track early? Or are there lessons you kind of had to learn a little bit later or differently?
WK: You know, I think I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I think, you know, initially I thought about that when I first got to medical school. My classmates were 22 and I was 27 and they were calling me the old man. You know, I think the experiences that I've had to get to medical school, it just made you such a cherish, all the things that you have, and to really just see from all different angles, not just from a physician side, but from from the patient side. And I think it's really all the different experiences we've had, I wouldn't trade that for the world.
And it makes you a better doctor for sure. No question. And I think if I could actually tell some of the younger students here and grads here is that, you know, just..It's not a race. It may seem like a race, but it's not. It really is finding your passion, your path. And each one of us is different. And I think when we're in college and afterwards, we may not immediately see that, but I think looking back it's certainly. I wouldn't change it for the world.
LJR: Yeah. Yeah. So now what is your day like? Is there a typical day? What are your, you know, are you seeing patients more? Is there a research element? Talk to us about that.
WK: Yeah, so, it is right, a research hospital focused on cancer care. So I do mostly procedures. Since I've just been here for the past month, it's starting to get busier. Interventional procedures for cancer diagnosis and treatment. We have a lot of, you know, because it’s a tertiary care cancer center, we have a lot of very sick patients here with advanced cancer. So there are some very challenging treatment options and procedures that we are facing every day. It's a tremendous privilege and honor to be here. My day…So it is mostly procedures where I'm in clinic and seeing patients. And then there's a research component, certainly too, that we're involved in. I was just working with my colleagues on a book chapter dealing with stomach cancer ‘cause we're encouraged to pursue both clinically and research wise to you know, advance medicine. I think that's sort of ties back to all of our, you know, learnings and I was a history major in college. How did this come from…to this? It may not sound like there's a connection, but there's certainly a deep connection, you know: Our passion for the unknown, our passion for research, our passion for collaboration. And I think learning is certainly that's the common theme in both fields.
LJR Yeah. And the sciences now are so collaborative or interdisciplinary that you are drawing I'm sure from other, you know, not just in the gastroenterological field, but others, to kind of take medicine to the next level. A little bit of what we did in college, for sure. Um, so if you were to go back and talk to that young Woojin and tell him where you are now, what do you think he would have said to you?
WK: I think he would have been, wow. That's a a lot on the plate. I'm not sure if I will be able to get there. I think it’s the experiences we've had and more importantly, the people you met and as I go back to our classmates and as we, you know, approach our 25th anniversary here of our graduation, each of us meant so much to each one of us. And I think, and each pattern, each path, the mentors, the friends who became your mentors, became such a big integral part of our, you know, our path. So yeah, I think following your passion and following your heart, working hard and being patient for me, I think it's, that's what I would tell the 22 year old myself then.
LJR: Do you think at that time, when you made that call to that alum…I mean, you could have reached out to any alum. You did reach out to a doctor. Was it to try to, do you think you were trying to get someone to put you on that path or was it like, maybe I'll just talk to this person and I'll talk to others and I'll talk to others. Were you still pretty open or was that kind of you, you knew..Okay. I was a history major, but I always had this call?
WK: A little bit. But I think I was more open actually. I was telling my parents that I remember at the time I was like, Oh, I think I'm going to pursue my history degree. And I want to kind of become, you know, professor in this field. And that was my passion. But, no, it was, I think he kind of popped up there and I was like, Oh, okay, I'll reach out to him. And then there were other alumni too, that I was going to eventually reach out to as well. Didn't get to, but yeah.
LJR: Right. When you find the one, you find the one.
WK: Right. Just, no, I was open-minded. I think I just was looking at like, okay, you know, I have this whole world ahead of me: what do I want to do? And, you know, I think, even though you look back and you're like, what was I thinking? I spent four years in college and didn't know what I was going to do. But then, you know, you mentioned, it worked out.
LJR: It worked out exactly. And as you said, it's not a race. But just finding the starting line, sometimes it takes a little longer. But it seems as though you have run this race very well and you're in a place now that's using your skills and talents and passion. And we're so glad that you shared the story with all of us.
WK: Thanks so much, Leslie, and thank you for, uh, doing this. It's just a wonderful honor to be here.
LJR: That was Woojin Kim, a triple-Ivy educated gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor in the department of medicine and the director of interventional endoscopy at City of Hope, the comprehensive cancer center in Southern California. He's passionate about the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, including both research and therapeutic procedural interventions.
He'd want me to tell you that once we hit 50, let's be sure to get those colonoscopies. Almost as important and hopefully slightly more fun is the other thing you should do at any age. Follow the Roads Taken podcast at roadstakenshow.com and leave a review on Apple podcasts or any other favorite podcasting platform. It does help others find the show so they can hear our guests’ stories. As always, thanks for listening and be sure to join me, Leslie Jennings Rowley, in future weeks for more episodes of Roads Taken.