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My Office Hours
| | 8:30 am
4:45 pm | 8:30 am
4:45 pm | 8:30 am
4:45 pm | 8:30 am
4:45 pm | 8:30 am
4:45 pm | |
Welcome to my web page!
Cancer is the leading cause of death in children after accidents (so wear those helmets!). The second most common type of childhood cancer involves the brain and spinal cord. These diseases are my focus as the neuro-oncologist on a team of pediatric neurosurgeons and other dedicated health care providers here at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. The treatment of brain tumors requires the coordinated skills of pediatric specialists to maximize cures while minimizing side effects. Since the very growth of the brain defines the magic of childhood development, our main goal is to treat each child without jeopardizing his/her quality of life and the adult yet to be. Neuro-oncologists and Red Sox fans like me are quite certain that nothing is impossible.
When hearing about kids with brain tumors, most grownups do not consider the strength I bear witness to on a daily basis. For decades, children have been teaching me how resilient they really are. My training as a pediatrician and scientist has taken me across North America. I have had the privilege of working among the world’s most advanced and busiest pediatric neuro-oncology groups. Only scattered specialized centers are capable of serving families to deliver such complex care. Each one exercises outstanding clinical judgment borne of hard-won experience. But what often separates the best treatment programs from the merely successful ones is their quality of collaboration and communication amongst providers and most importantly, with family members. My patients have taught me that in the face of the sheer technical challenges of cancer care, sometimes the most important service we can provide is listening in the support of hope. Each child faces unique challenges in confronting a tumor diagnosis. Like every ascent of an imposing mountain peak, the goal may be the same; but in order to prevail, each Climber needs a Guide who treats each journey to Survivorship as singularly important.
Parents naturally promise their children many things, but sometimes forget how literally they are held. So I try to make only those promises I know I can keep. I have been blessed with a very patient and understanding family. Having immigrated to the Northeastern Megalopolis, my parents who survived a war managed to tolerate my adolescence. I settled with my own family in the Bay Area to enjoy the beauty and diversity of the towns and the outdoors. We love all kinds of food and music - the spicier, the better. But in life as in art, seeking a balance is simple in principle, while difficult to achieve. My spouse and I try to teach our children to explore the world, to seek balance, to remain open-minded, and to learn interdependence, and above all, that how we treat others defines who we are. So as simple as it may sound, I strive to serve folks the way I want my own family treated: with expertise, dedication, and compassion.
John Y. H. Kim, MD, PhD
My Credentials
| University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA |
| Children's Hospital, Boston, MA |
| Dana-farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA |
| Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics |
| Pediatric Hematology/oncology, American Board of Pediatrics |
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