image: Lawrence Kim, MD, AGAF, today begins his term as the 120th president of the AGA Institute.
Credit: Dr. Lawrence Kim
Bethesda, MD (May 28, 2025) — Lawrence Kim, MD, AGAF, today begins his term as the 120th president of the AGA Institute. A leader in community-based practice, Dr. Kim is a partner at South Denver Gastroenterology, an independent gastroenterology practice in Colorado.
In his 27 years in private practice, Dr. Kim has helped diversify and innovate his group. He developed a part-time partnership model, making South Denver Gastroenterology a leader in recruiting women gastroenterologists, who now comprise one-third of the practice. He incorporated endoscopic ultrasound into the practice’s advanced endoscopy service line and initiated a clinical research program. Additionally, Dr. Kim spearheaded the creation of a joint venture in gastrointestinal pathology, linking three local practices, and helped establish South Denver Gastroenterology as one of the founding groups of the Digestive Health Physicians Association, the first organization focused on advocacy for independent gastroenterology practices.
“I had the honor of working with Larry on the AGA Governing Board for three years and saw his deep commitment to sustain and grow the AGA mission of decreasing the burden of GI disease and advocate for training and education of the next generation of gastroenterologists,” said Naresh Gunaratnam, MD, AGAF, gastroenterologist with MNGI Digestive Health.
As president, Dr. Kim will ensure that AGA is an inclusive society for all gastroenterologists. He will cultivate relationships with clinicians, work to secure the viability of gastroenterology research, and champion the next generation of leaders in the specialty. Relying on core values of patient-centered and evidence-based medicine, clinicians, researchers, and educators will come together to meet the challenges of an ever-changing landscape in gastroenterology — a vision he has advocated for throughout his 30 years as an AGA volunteer.
“Larry has brought academic-level thinking to clinical private practice,” said Larry Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, founder and chief medical officer of SonarMD, Inc. “These attributes will enable him to be a true bridge builder as president of AGA.”
Born and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Kim is of Korean heritage and comes from a multigenerational family of physicians. His father, Philip Kim, was a pathologist. Dr. Kim graduated cum laude from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He earned his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of California San Francisco, Dr. Kim pursued additional training in clinical outcomes research and endoscopic ultrasound and received the young clinicians award from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy for his studies on the use of propofol for endoscopic sedation.
Learn more about Dr. Kim’s path to AGA presidency in Gastroenterology.
Contact for media: Annie Mehl, media@gastro.org, 301-272-0013
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, AGA represents members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice, and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research, and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org
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