Dr. Soon K. Kim has extensive experience in geriatric psychiatry and now oversees behavioral health hospitals. He also serves on the board of directors of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Gerontology is a multidisciplinary field that studies the mental, social, and physical aspects of aging through diverse scientific and humanities research. As people are living longer, the field of gerontology has become increasingly important to understand the growing population of older adults.

1. The Expanding Field of Gerontology
Dr. Soon K Kim

2. Introduction
 Formerly practicing as a board-certified psychiatrist with subspecialty
certification in geriatric psychiatry, Dr. Soon K. Kim now oversees
behavioral health hospitals in his capacity as an executive.
Continuing to maintain his board certifications today, Dr. Soon K. Kim
also serves on the board of directors of the USC Leonard Davis
School of Gerontology.
A multidisciplinary field, gerontology is the study of older adults and
how they age. As compared with the field of geriatrics, which focuses
on caring for aging adults, gerontology incorporates research from
diverse fields in the sciences and the humanities in an effort to
understand the mental, social, and physical components of aging.
Some investigators in the field also seek to take scientific knowledge
about older adults and the aging process and apply the findings to
programs and policies.
With scientific breakthroughs resulting in human beings living longer
than ever before, the field of gerontology has in recent years become
even more relevant. According to the USC Leonard Davis School of
Gerontology, an American turns 50 every seven seconds, and
gerontologists will continue to be needed to study this growing
demographic.