Gha-Hyun Jeffrey Kim
Biography
Gha-hyun Jeffrey Kim, PharmD, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms of neurodegeneration, particularly the role of the angiotensin pathway in neuronal injury and the development of tri-culture models integrating dopaminergic neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. He also applies machine learning approaches to model long-term health outcomes from electronic health records. Kim received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics from the University of California, San Francisco, where his dissertation examined microglial activation and mitochondrial restoration in Parkinson's disease and Gaucher's disease.
Before joining UCI, Kim served as Scientist II at Color Genomics, where he contributed to the pharmacogenomics and medicine reporting pipeline for the NIH All of Us program, supporting health data reporting for one million participants across the United States. He developed Color's pharmacogenomics test panel and served as a member of the American Cancer Society Pharmacogenomics subgroup, contributing to the ACS Pharmacogenomic Consensus Recommendations published in 2023. He also led the California Department of Public Health TelePrEP-AP Program, designing patient experience and clinical protocols for PrEP/nPEP treatment delivery.
Kim directs four courses at UCI, including Principles of Pharmacogenomics and Managed Care Pharmacy I, and serves as course director for Information Analytics and Numeracy II. He is a member of the NIH All of Us Pharmacogenomics working group and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Pharmacogenomics Subgroup. Kim received the Apple Teaching Award from UCSF School of Pharmacy three consecutive years and was awarded the NIH HDSTP Reducing Chronic Disease Burden Award in 2025. He holds a PharmD from UCSF and is a registered pharmacist in California.
Return to topEducation
- PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics, University of California San Francisco, 2021
- PharmD in Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, 2016
- BS in Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 2012
Distinctions
- NIH HDSTP Reducing Chronic Disease Burden Award, 2025
- Best Poster Award, International Zebrafish Society, 2021
- Outstanding Career Flash Talk Award, Korean American Scientists and Engineers Association, 2025
- Honorable Mention Bold & Basic Fellowship, UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute, 2019
- Rho Chi Academic Honors, UCSF School of Pharmacy, 2014
- Mary Anne Koda Kimble Seed Award for Innovation, UCSF School of Pharmacy, 2016-2017
- PSPG Nominee for Genentech Fellowship, 2017
- Certificate of Recognition MLK Jr Center for Public Health, California State Assembly, 2025
- 5th Annual ICS Project Expo 1st place faculty advisor, UCI Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, 2025
- Apple Teaching Award, UCSF School of Pharmacy, 2015-2017
Areas of Expertise
- Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanisms
- Dopaminergic Neuron Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- Microglial Activation Pathways
- Angiotensin Signaling Neuroprotection
- Electronic Health Record Analytics
- Pharmacogenomic Testing Implementation
- Tri-Culture Neurodegeneration Models
Recent Publications
- Kim H, Lee H, Park S, Yang S, Kim GJ, Lee S, Mok I-K, Lee JY, Park S, Pal K, Kim D, “Value-adding okara via Monascus purpureus solid-state fermentation: Microstructural remodeling, metabolite enrichment, and bioactivity enhancement” (opens in new tab), Food Chemistry, vol. 495, pp. 146443, 2025.
- Kim H, Jin K, Lee JY, Yang T, Oh S, Park S, Tran GB, Le HT, Pal K, Kim GJ, Kim D, “Functional properties of hard kombucha brewed with deep ocean water using Lachancea thermotolerans” (opens in new tab), Scientific Reports, vol. 15, pp. 26959, 2025.
- Lee JY, Kim H, Yang TH, Oh S, Kim GJ, Park S, Lee S, Mok IK, Kang DH, Kim D, “Enhancing the biochemical and functional properties of water kefir: Comparative effects of different water sources with emphasis on deep ocean water” (opens in new tab), Journal of Functional Foods, vol. 132, pp. 106965, 2025.
- Kim H, Jeon J, Lee J, Song C, Gu B, Kim NM, Yang T, Oh S, Park S, Pal K, Kim GJ, Kim D, “Utilizing kombucha culture for coffee fermentation and biochemical characteristic analysis” (opens in new tab), Current Research in Food Science, vol. 10, 2025.
- Kim GJ, “Targeting Mitochondrial Dysfunction for Dopaminergic Neuron Survival in Parkinson's Disease”, 2025. Presented at KSEA-UKC 2025, Atlanta, GA, August 2025.
- Kim, G.J., Boone G, Ellis-Gilliam A, Roberts A, Ma J, Salman A, Hasan M, Chyou J, Bhuiyan A, Johnson T, Zhang W, Patel J, Mohamed Z, Dinu V, “Computational Risk Modeling of Cardiovascular Events Following Viral Respiratory Infection: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study”, 2025. Presented at AIM-AHEAD Annual Meeting, Dallas, July 2025.
- Lim J, Kim H, Kim Gh. J., “Enzymatic upcycling of wild-simulated ginseng leaves for enhancing biological activities and compound K” (opens in new tab), Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2024.
- Kim H, Kang CG, Seong H, Kim T, Jo J, Kim Gh. J., “Enhancement of the water solubility of curcuminoids by micelle formulations with ginsenosides to improve antioxidant activity, suppress nitric oxide release, and reduce lipid accumulation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Functional Foods, 2024.
- Kim Gh. J., Chen M, Kowk S., Guo S., “Protocol for imaging-based zebrafish small molecule screen to identify neuroprotective compounds for dopamine neurons” (opens in new tab), STAR Protocols, 2024.
- Kim Gh. J., Mo H, Liu H, “In Vivo Dopamine Neuron Imaging-Based Small Molecule Screen Identifies Novel Neuroprotective Compounds and Targets” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022.
- Kim Gh. J., Melgoza A, Jiang F, “The effect of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors on organ-specific ace2 expression in zebrafish and its implications for COVID-19” (opens in new tab), Scientific Reports, 2021.
- Kim, Gh. J., Sirota, M., Guo, S, “A Zebrafish Screen Reveals Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors as Neuroprotective via Mitochondrial Restoration in Dopamine Neurons” (opens in new tab), eLife, 2021.
- Xiong, C., Kim, Gh. J, “Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Sensory Neurons are Sensitive to the Neurotoxic Effects of Paclitaxel” (opens in new tab), Clinical Translational Medicine, 2020.
- Liu H, Chen S, Huang K, Kim Gh. J, “A High-Content Larval Zebrafish Brain Imaging Method for Small Molecule Drug Discovery” (opens in new tab), PLoS One, 2016.
Contact Information
Email: jeffrey.kim@uci.edu
Address: 2549 Falling Leaves Medical Innovation, Irvine, CA 92697-3958
Return to topThis profile was created with the help of AI.
Last updated on 2/20/2026.