Karen Kim, MD, MS, was named dean at Penn State College of Medicine in 2023. As the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Rural Health Research, Kim leads the College of Medicine’s education, research and clinical missions, culture of innovation, and will focus on enhancing team-based interdisciplinary collaboration across the College of Medicine, Penn State Health, the University at large  and across commonwealth campuses. As Physician in Chief, Kim plays a critical role in shaping the academic health system.

Dr. Karen Kim is a nationally recognized leader in health disparities research,  curricular innovation and public policy. Her research focuses on the rigorous development and evaluation of multi-level strategies to advance cancer health equity among marginalized and vulnerable populations. As founder and director of the Center for Asian Health Equity-a community-academic partnership, Kim is a national leader on public policies for the inclusion of Asian-Americans and underserved populations in research.