WRNMMC, Bethesda, MD  –   NASA astronaut and Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Jonny Kim has discussed his diverse career and offered professional development advice to military and medical professionals. He spoke with staff and students during a presentation for the Uniformed Services University (USU) and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Department of Medicine Grand Rounds, Feb. 18 at WRNMMC.
Kim said everyone is born with the potential to succeed in life, but they have to take bold steps to fulfill that promise. “Some might have the opportunities, some might not, but the determination to break the ceiling must stand out at all cost,” he said.
Kim speaks from experience. His parents emigrated from South Korea in the early 1980s and settled in Los Angeles. They struggled just like other immigrants to live The American Dream.
“As a kid, I lacked confidence and was insecure because of my vulnerabilities due to several factors. But I was lucky to have a support system at home, in school and in my circle that guided me along the way,” Kim said. 
The former Navy SEAL attended Santa Monica High School in California and graduated with high grades in 2002. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a seaman recruit and was assigned to SEAL Team 3 with the rating Special Warfare Operator. He deployed twice to the Middle East and participated in more than 100 combat missions as a combat medic, sniper, navigator, and point man.
Kim was commissioned as a naval officer through the Navy’s enlisted-to-officer commissioning program, Seaman to Admiral-21, following graduation from the University of San Diego in 2012. He graduated Summa Cum Laude earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then attended Harvard Medical School, earning his medical degree in 2016 and completed his internship with Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, then Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
He said his experience as a Navy SEAL and medical doctor who has worked in various countries, helped him to be a better person, adding those interactions made him see the world from different perspectives. “When you interact with people from various backgrounds, you see things differently and feel fulfilled by helping others in dire need,” he said.
Kim said while studying at Harvard Medical School, he met astronaut–physician Scott E. Parazynski. That meeting inspired him to apply for the NASA’s astronaut candidacy program. In June 2017, Kim was one of 12 candidates chosen from more than 18,300 applicants to join NASA Astronaut Group 22. He reported for training in August 2017. The training included technical and operational instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Operations, T-38 flight training, robotics, physiological training, expeditionary training, field geology, and survival training. He graduated from training Jan. 10, 2020, becoming NASA’s first astronaut of Korean heritage.
In 2020, Kim began his support of International Space Station Operations as a Capsule Communicator (CapCom) in Mission Control Center. In December 2020, NASA named Kim as a member of Project Artemis, the first effort to land Americans on lunar soil since Project Apollo ended in 1972. He joined 17 other astronauts in training for the moon landing, scheduled for 2024.
In April 2021, Kim was selected to serve as the International Space Station’s Increment Lead for Expedition 65. With all those accomplishments, Kim urged his colleagues to believe in their future dreams. “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams. Hence, we should never put limitations on ourselves,” Kim said during his presentation at WRNMMC.
Chief of the Department of Medicine at WRNMMC, Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jason Blaylock, while presenting a military coin to Kim for his achievements, urged staff to use the information to guide their careers. “I hope the information shared will act as a motivation for you all to continue to impact more lives all the time,” he said.