Research Interest

Eustachian tube; Eustachian tube dysfunction; Middle ear pressure; Pressure regulation; Alternobaric vertigo; PROMs; Vestibular disorders; Tinnitus; Precision otology; AI-assisted clinical reasoning.

Biography

Dr. Hee-Young Kim, MD, MS, PhD, is an otolaryngology specialist based in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with a longstanding clinical and research focus on Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and middle ear physiology. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Otolaryngology–ENT Research. Dr. Kim’s research focuses on middle ear pressure (MEP), pressure regulation, and their clinical relevance to Eustachian tube–related disorders, as well as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in their diagnosis and management. His recent scholarly work increasingly emphasizes mechanism-based approaches to ETD and the integration of middle ear physiology into precision diagnostics and AI-assisted clinical reasoning. Dr. Kim is affiliated with the Department of Professional, Corporate, and Continuing Education at Harvard Medical School and the Center for Executive and Continuing Professional Education at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in addition to his clinical affiliation with Kim Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Seoul. He serves as an Academic Learning Mentor (ALM) in the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (PPCR) program, where he contributes to the mentorship of clinical researchers and the development of research questions, study design, and methodological reasoning. His educational activities also extend to medical education and professional development. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters addressing ground-level alternobaric vertigo, swallowing disorders related to ETD, and ETD-associated hearing loss. His scholarly work seeks to connect clinically observable physiology with mechanistic interpretation, with the broader goal of improving diagnostic accuracy and advancing individualized approaches to otologic disorders. Outside his academic commitments, Dr. Kim enjoys playing the violin and contributing to scientific communication and medical education.