Blog

CITY OF HOPE ORANGE COUNTY NAMES EDWARD S. KIM, M.D., M.B.A. ITS PHYSICIAN-IN-CHIEF, LEADING A NEW GENERATION OF CANCER CARE

Nationally renowned cancer researcher and clinician joins a team of top-tier professionals speeding breakthrough treatments closer to home

• City of Hope Orange County, transforming the cancer care landscape, attracts nationally acclaimed clinician with vast history of pioneering research and immense oncology expertise.
• Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., named a U.S. News and World Report “Top Doctor,” will lead City of Hope Orange County’s distinguished roster of highly specialized cancer experts.
• Dr. Kim will be instrumental in the development of a world-class network of care and visionary cancer campus underway in Irvine, California, to include widespread access to clinical trials, leading-edge treatments, and innovations in cancer prevention and early diagnosis.

(Irvine, CA. Nov. 17, 2020) – City of Hope Orange County announced today it has appointed preeminent oncologist Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., as the senior vice president and vice physician-in-chief at City of Hope and Orange County physician-in-chief. In recruiting this leading expert, City of Hope is fulfilling the promise of enhancing access to cancer breakthroughs in Orange County and becoming a model for the nation in revolutionizing the delivery of cancer treatment and research.

“Dr. Kim has a depth and breadth of cancer expertise that is well-matched for the expansion of City of Hope into Orange County. We needed a clinician-scientist who embraces the innovation and energy of the region and is up to the challenge of transforming health care delivery so that breakthroughs are significantly more accessible to those who need them. With this appointment, our vision for the future of cancer care in Orange County is being fulfilled,” said Michael A. Caligiuri, M.D., president of City of Hope National Medical Center, physician-in-chief and the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician-in-Chief Distinguished Chair.

Dr. Kim, named a U.S. News and World Report “Top Doctor,” will lead City of Hope Orange County’s esteemed team of clinician-scientists with unique cancer expertise. As City of Hope Orange County’s chief physician, he will be responsible for driving innovation in cancer care and delivery for the Orange County network of care and the planned Irvine campus. Specifically, he will encourage and develop new paradigms for translating state-of-the-art research into practice within the community – including introducing new therapies – as well as champion and advocate for cancer patients and their families.

Dr. Kim comes to the new position with a distinguished history of pioneering cancer research and leadership positions at the Levine Cancer Institute in North Carolina and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is among the country’s foremost experts in molecular prognostication for lung, head and neck cancers, which greatly advances cancer detection and personalized therapies. As part of his lifelong commitment to ongoing oncology research, Dr. Kim is also the principal and co-principal investigator on numerous studies and protocols and the author or co-author of more than 200 published original articles, book chapters and reviews in top-tier journals, such as The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Cancer, Nature Medicine, and Cancer Prevention Research.

Before joining City of Hope, Dr. Kim was the chair of Solid Tumor Oncology and Investigational Therapeutics, the Donald S. Kim Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research, and medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at the Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Prior to the Levine Cancer Institute, he held many leadership positions including associate professor (tenured) in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Kim has recently completed his Masters in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business.

“My appointment to City of Hope Orange County is the culmination of my career thus far. The vision of City of Hope to redefine the accessibility of cancer treatments is well-aligned with my personal commitment to continually meet unmet needs,” said Dr. Kim. “Along with my prestigious colleagues, we will be creating opportunities for strategic and teamoriented translational research that is delivered through a comprehensive network of care spanning the breadth of the Orange County region.”

City of Hope Expansion in Orange County

City of Hope is answering Orange County’s unmet needs by expanding access to advanced therapies not previously available in the region. Presently, nearly 20% of Orange County residents diagnosed with cancer leave the area for highly specialized cancer care, often commuting up to two hours each way to City of Hope’s main Duarte campus.

City of Hope launched a Newport Beach, California, location in January as the initial phase of its plans to invest $1 billion, fueled in part by philanthropy, to develop and operate a regional cancer care network featuring a world-class cancer center of the future in Irvine, California. The planned 11-acre Irvine campus will house a comprehensive cancer center opening in 2022 that will offer highly specialized cancer care, phase 1-3 clinical trials, precision medicine, and early detection and prevention programs. Orange County’s only specialty hospital exclusively dedicated to treating and curing cancer is slated to open on the campus in 2025. City of Hope leaders and volunteers are engaging the philanthropic community to help make this vision a reality.

“City of Hope Orange County is pleased that America’s leading medical talent wants to join us because we pursue bold goals and are a beacon for the future. This is transformative work that will impact our community for generations. Right here in Orange County, we are not only making our local region healthier, but we are also engaged in research and new therapies that will help influence an eventual end to cancer. This is the promise that we bring and the vision that Dr. Kim and his outstanding colleagues will help make a reality,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County.

For updates on City of Hope Orange County, or to become a volunteer or philanthropic partner, please visit CityofHope.org/OC and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About City of Hope

City of Hope is an independent biomedical research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other lifethreatening diseases. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy, such as CAR T cell therapy. City of Hope’s translational research and personalized treatment protocols advance care throughout the world. Human synthetic insulin and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology developed at the institution. A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope has been ranked among the nation’s “Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report for 14 consecutive years. Its main campus is located near Los Angeles, with additional locations throughout Southern California. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

City of Hope Orange County is investing $1 billion in Orange County to build a state-of-the-art cancer and research center and is working every day to improve the health and well-being of all of us in Orange County.

Over the last several months, cancer screenings have dropped up to 94 percent, potentially leading to cancers that may go undiagnosed or diagnosed at a later stage.  We want  to remind our members cancer doesn’t stop because of COVID-19. The pandemic underscores the importance of having world class-cancer treatment accessible and close to home and now we do with City of Hope Orange County.  It is essential to have routine screenings because the best way to fight cancer is to prevent it in the first place. Asians are almost twice as likely to have stomach, liver and IBD cancer. ABAOC has tragically lost beloved members we to cancer and that is why we are educating our members on the extreme importance of routine cancer screenings.

Scanxiety: How to Keep it from Derailing Your Next Cancer Scan

Physicians who work with cancer patients have coined a term for what they have come to recognize as a common and impactful part of the patient experience: “Scanxiety.”

Scanxiety is the stressful emotions that can affect patients in connection with cancer scans, and the uncertainties and fears that may accompany them.

It’s easy to understand why scans can create a special kind of anxiety when you consider the ways that cancer, and the experience of the imaging technologies themselves – like having to lay still inside a tight space to get an MRI, or having to drink a foul-tasting liquid prep – can cause people to feel vulnerable, depressed and out of control. They may also develop physical symptoms associated with anxiety, such as headaches, heart palpitations, chest pain, increased blood pressure, breathing problems, upset stomach and fatigue.

Coping with scanxiety during cancer treatment is difficult enough. Add to that an uncertain public health and economic environment due to the COVID-19 crisis, and a real concern emerges. “It’s entirely normal to be anxious,” said Tingting Tan, M.D., Ph.D., a medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers at City of Hope Newport Beach, “but scanxiety left unmitigated may contribute to a cancer patient stopping or postponing important care. It is a situation where proactive stress reduction can make a meaningful difference in keeping a patient on course.”

4 ways to reduce scanxiety

Try one or more of these coping mechanisms to reduce the burden and restore a sense of control when dealing with scanxiety:

1. Identify the most distressing aspects of the scans. Is it waiting for your appointment, actually having the scans, or knowing that the results are in but you don’t know what they are? Be aware of when you’re going to be most nervous, and ask your physician for advice.
2. Surround yourself with people who understand. Stay engaged with supportive, reassuring people who “get” you and can put you at ease.
3. Employ distraction techniques that work for you. Do you have a favorite way to relax, such as mindfulness exercises, having a conversation with a friend or family member, or listening to soothing music? Visit the City of Hope YouTube channel and try our guided imagery meditations and deep breathing videos.
4. Make a plan with your care team. Do you need to minimize the time spent in the waiting room to keep your anxiety level from rising? Who is going to give you the results? Will it be a call, an email, an office visit? Will you want to bring someone with you?

Having scans to check on a cancer is an important part of the care plan; don’t let scanxiety dampen your spirits. People use different coping strategies, but finding a healthy, constructive technique for scanxiety that’s right for you isn’t a job you have to take on alone. Your physician, family and friends are among your best resources for advice and encouragement.

City of Hope Newport Beach is here to help keep your treatment moving according to plan, and we’re doing everything necessary to ensure a safe in-person visit when you come to see us. Learn more about our COVID-19 protective measures and policies. To make an appointment with a physician at City of Hope Newport Beach, please call (949) 763-2204. For more information, please visit cityofhope.org/OC.