Dr. Joon K. Shim, director of the General Surgery Residency Program at Bassett Healthcare Network, has recently been appointed or elected to new roles in four national organizations, according to a Bassett news release. Shim is a surgeon who is fellowship-trained in advanced minimally invasive surgery with expertise in foregut surgery, general surgery and metabolic surgery.
As an appointee to the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Medical Student Education, Shim “will work with other committee members to improve surgical education across all four years of medical school and better facilitate the transition from medical school into residency training,” the release stated.
As a director-at-large on the board of directors for the Association for Academic Surgery Foundation, Shim “will support AASF’s mission to champion new surgeons at the outset of their careers,” according to the release.
As a member-at-large for the Association for Surgical Education, Shim “will provide her insights to the Board of Directors of one of the leading national organizations dedicated to advancing surgical education, curriculum development and innovation in training,” the release stated..
Shim was also appointed to serve on the board of directors of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, the only national organization dedicated to surgical residency leadership, program development and resident education.
“These four national opportunities are especially meaningful to me because they align closely with my passion for surgical education, mentorship, leadership development and building thoughtful training environments for future surgeons,” Shim said. “I am committed to the work of preparing these surgeons to be compassionate, technically excellent, resilient and ready to serve diverse communities.”
Bassett’s residency program has grown under Shim’s leadership the release stated.
“This year marks the first time in the history of the residency program that there are more female residents than male residents in training, something I view as an important reflection of intentional recruitment, mentorship and culture-building within surgical education,” Shim said.
Shim performed the first robotic Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery in Bassett Healthcare Network’s history in 2022, according to the release. She is a U.S. Army veteran who served two deployments to Afghanistan in 2011–2012 and again in 2013, when she led surgical teams caring for combat casualties.
“My military experience profoundly shaped my leadership philosophy, teamwork approach, resilience and commitment to service,” Shim said.