Career Switch

Jae You Kim, DMD 2025

Growing up, I have always enjoyed studying the natural sciences – particularly biology and chemistry. In the early 2000s – following the completion of a human genome project and groundbreaking research on stem cell therapies – I turned my attention to the intersection of healthcare and applied sciences, namely biomedical engineering. During my undergraduate years, I was allowed to volunteer as a research assistant, which further led me to the graduate program in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin

While I enjoyed investigating the underlying mechanisms behind pathophysiology and the treatments as a researcher, many research projects were limited to the preclinical stage and required years of research just to enter the clinical trials, where many do not even make it to the market Realizing that I wanted to make a direct impact on patients’ lives, my passion shifted to direct patient care and clinical application. Above all, I appreciate that dentistry will enable me to quickly improve their quality of life. While I was shadowing in the dental clinic, I was struck by the fact that patients were able to return to their normal routine and live pain-free within a few weeks at the most.

Overall, I am drawn to the challenging nature of the work; the clarity required to achieve each procedural goal; the importance of soliciting immediate feedback from patients; the opportunity to diagnose and treat oral health; and – perhaps most importantly – the ability to play an integral and collaborative role in each patient’s quality of life.