Stephen J. Kim, MD
2311 Pierce Avenue
Nashville, TN 37232
United States map
(615) 936-7126 office
Professional Affiliations
Academic Appointments- Professor of Ophthalmology and Phyllis G. and William B. Snyder, MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology
- Retina Chief
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Biography
Dr. Stephen Jae Kim joined the Vanderbilt Eye Institute in the 2008-2009 academic year and was rapidly promoted to full Professor of Ophthalmology in the 2017-2018 academic year. Dr. Kim is the Phyllis G. and William B. Snyder, MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology with Distinction at Duke University where he graduated with summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and spent a year in the Laboratory of Experimental Immunology at the NEI in Bethesda MD as a Howard Hughes sponsored research fellow. He then returned to Johns Hopkins to continue his ophthalmology training at the Wilmer Eye Institute and then completed a 1-year fellowship in uveitis at Johns Hopkins and a 2-year medical and surgical retinal fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Kim is a nationally recognized expert in the medical and surgical management of retinal disease and uveitis, including the use and monitoring of systemic immunosuppression and actively engages in basic, translational, and clinical research.
His R01-funded lab focuses on inflammatory biomarkers in the early diagnosis, risk stratification, and prevention of diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Kim is a frequent invited lecturer at major ophthalmic meetings and has authored or co-authored over 230 journal articles and published abstracts. He is a leading authority on NSAIDs for the treatment of ocular inflammation and on the emergence of antibiotic resistance and has been recognized as one of America’s Best Doctors by Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Best Doctors, and Nashville Lifestyles Top Doctor. He is a member of the prestigious Macula and Retina Society. He was awarded the prestigious Carl Camras Translational Research Award by the ARVO Foundation in 2017 and has received both the Secretariat Award, Achievement Award, and Senior Achievement Award by the AAO.
Dr. Kim currently is Chief of the Retina Division. He has an exemplary record of service for the AAO and is recent past chair of the Ophthalmology Technology Assessment Committee of the AAO which reviews the safety and efficacy of procedures and technologies to determine what constitutes best practice pattern. Dr. Kim is also recent past chair of the writing committee for the retina section of the Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) of the AAO.