Current Environment:

Overview


The broad interest of the Kim Lab is to characterize the biology of stem cells in normal lung and lung cancer. Numerous lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease involve injured or depleted bronchiolar or alveolar epithelium. Bronchiolar and alveolar cells are also affected in adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. It is likely that lung stem cells are critically affected in patients with these devastating diseases.

Our long-term goal is to elucidate the role of stem cells in lung homeostasis as a prerequisite to the development of therapeutic strategies that can be used to prevent or attenuate lung disease.

two rows of three squares showing different cells

Diversity and inclusionary statement

The Kim Lab acknowledges the inequities faced by those from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities and we dedicate ourselves to learning more about diversity, empowering the voices of our fellow colleagues, and setting internal goals to continuously address these issues and progress together.

We promote equal opportunities for our trainees. We strive to uphold a safe space environment for our lab members and visiting students. We actively work to recruit diverse trainees and interns. We believe in the importance of active sponsorship and focus on connecting our trainees with local resources and opportunities to access platforms for increased visibility in the field. Accessibility is a crucial factor. We are in the planning stage of creating remote opportunities for local high school students to engage with our lab, to introduce them to our work and to answer any questions they may have about this field. We acknowledge the far-reaching impact financial barriers can have on an individual and work with our interns to dismantle that barrier by providing them with paid positions. Several of our lab members are involved with Boston Children’s Hospital’s PRADA organization, which is working on future plans to connect Children’s research labs with disadvantaged high school students.

There is much more work to be done and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to be allies. If you would like more information about our efforts or Boston Children’s Hospital’s internal efforts, please contact our admin Sabrina Rodriguez.

Future directions and ongoing projects

Our current and future work will build on these discoveries to lead the field toward a better understanding of stem cell biology in the lung, development of innovative approaches for examining the cellular and molecular basis of lung disease and cancer, and identification of new avenues of therapy for pulmonary diseases.

Affiliations