Christine Y. Lee-Kim, DO

I was inspired to become a doctor back when I was in high school. It was at that age that I really started to notice that my father had been dealing with sinus problems and itchy skin most of his life. He was constantly sniffling, coughing, blowing his nose. He was buying all kinds of creams and lotions to deal with his itchy rashes. Everyone must have thought it was normal to be this way. Like most people of his generation, he just dealt with this and never saw a doctor for many years. It was very frustrating for him, and it hurt me to see him struggle. It wasn’t until I went into medical school that I learned he had what is called “atopy,” and that there was a type of doctor who specialized in this: an allergist. In pursuit of becoming a doctor, I graduated with honors from high school and enrolled as a double major in physiology and neuroscience at UCLA. After completion of my pre-med studies there, I attended the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific to get my medical degree. I certified in Internal Medicine in 2013 after completing residency at White Memorial Medical Center. Afterwards, I continued my medical training as a fellow at the University of Buffalo in New York, and attained certification in Allergy/Immunology in 2015. Since that time, I have been in private practice as an associate physician in Southern CA. In my spare time, I enjoy watching college sports, playing with my children, and riding my Peloton bike. What I love the most about my job as an allergist is the variety of ailments that I can see, from minor irritations to severe life-threatening allergic disease. I particularly enjoy managing food allergies, eczema and asthma, as these chronic conditions really impact a person’s quality of life. I feel that being honest with my patients and my willingness to listen and try to understand their situation makes me a unique health care provider. Having seen my father suffer in his past, I have deeper compassion for patients with atopic disease. My hope is to continue to improve the quality of life for all my patients and become a most-valuable asset to the field of allergy and immunology.