Bassett Healthcare Network Surgeon Dr. Joon Shim Takes on Leadership Roles at Four National Organizations

Joon K. Shim, MD, MPH, FACS, Director of the General Surgery Residency Program at Bassett Healthcare Network, has recently been appointed or elected to new roles in four national organizations. Dr. 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, Dr. 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.

As a director-at-large on the Board of Directors for the Association for Academic Surgery Foundation (AASF), Dr. Shim will support AASF’s mission to champion new surgeons at the outset of their careers.

As a member-at-large for the Association for Surgical Education (ASE), Dr. 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.

Dr. Shim was also appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), 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,” said Dr. Shim. “I am committed to the work of preparing these surgeons to be compassionate, technically excellent, resilient, and ready to serve diverse communities.”

Under Dr. Shim’s leadership, Bassett Healthcare Network’s General Surgery Residency Program has continued to expand its national reputation as a high-quality rural surgery training program.

“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,” said Dr. Shim.

Dr. Shim performed the first robotic Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery in Bassett Healthcare Network’s history in 2022. She is a United States Army veteran who served two deployments to Afghanistan in 2011–2012 and again in 2013, where she led surgical teams caring for combat casualties.

“My military experience profoundly shaped my leadership philosophy, teamwork approach, resilience, and commitment to service,” said Dr. Shim.