Dr. Thomas Kim is a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, High-Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director in Embryology, and Certified Medical Technologist.

Dr. Kim initially set out to become an internist until his own infertility issue shifted his professional path. After two years of treatment, Dr. Kim and his wife fulfilled their dream of becoming parents.

“It was an enlightening experience which piqued my interest in reproductive medicine and the technology that goes with it,” he says. “So I decided to change my career path to became a Reproductive Endocrinologist.”

Following his fellowship training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland, Dr. Kim started the first military IVF program on the West Coast. Since its inception in 1998, the program has helped thousands of active duty military personnel fulfill their dreams of parenthood. After honorable discharge from the Navy in 2001, Dr. Kim founded an IVF clinic in Los Angeles, in collaboration with CHA medical group, to pursue his interest in egg freezing as a fertility preservation option for women. He and colleagues published a landmark paper on egg freezing, which was considered experimental at the time.

His research efforts in innovative vitrification of human eggs has sparked national interest and coverage by leading media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, People Magazine and The Boston Globe. Today, egg cryopreservation using vitrification is a widely accepted treatment option, especially for newly-diagnosed cancer patients.

Dr. Kim believes that modern fertility treatment is vastly different from that of ten years ago.

“It is a discipline where leading-edge technology meets medical practice at the front line. As  laboratory technology advances at a rapid pace, especially in the area of molecular genomics, it is crucial for clinicians to understand up-to-date information, and assist patients navigating complicated medical information,” says Dr. Kim.

“I believe my experience as a patient as well as clinician helps me relate to patients better,” he adds. “And I’m committed and honored to walk with them on this leg of their journey to create a family.”

Founding IVF Director, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA

Founding IVF Director, CHA Fertility Center, Los Angeles, CA

Clinical Assistant Professor – Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA

Navy Commendation Medal – for the successful establishment and outstanding management of the first West Coast military IVF Program at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA