Kurt Hong, MD, PhD

Clinical Professor of Medicine and Gerontology (Clinician Educator)

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Overview

Dr. Hong is dual board-certified in internal medicine and clinical nutrition. He specializes in comprehensive approach to managing patients with obesity, metabolic diseases, and other nutrition-related disorders. Dr. Hong is committed to improving outcomes for patients through clinical and translational research. Current interests include study of macro and micro-nutrients affecting energy metabolism, impact of lifestyle intervention on healthcare utilization, nutrition support for aging, and innovative use computational phenotyping and machine learning for management of chronic diseases.

Dr. Hong is the founding director of Center for Clinical Nutrition and currently holds joint faculty appointments at USC Keck School of Medicine and USC Davis School of Gerontology. Dr. Hong received his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School in 1999. He completed his Internal Medicine training at Scripps Clinic and subsequent fellowship training in Clinical Nutrition at University of California, Los Angeles. He also received his Ph.D. degree (Cellular and Molecular Pathology) and research training in stem cell biology from UCLA. Dr. Hong is a reviewer for multiple medical journals, serves on committees of leading scientific organizations, and frequently invited to speak at hospitals and national conferences.

Awards

  • University of California, Los Angeles: Undergraduate Teaching Award, 1994
  • Harvard University Commonwealth Fund: Fellowship in Neuroscience Research, 1996
  • Walter J. McKinley Prize for Research and Clinical Investigation, 1996
  • Massachusetts Medical Society: Regents Scholarship, 1999
  • David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA: Soloman Scholar, 2005
  • UCLA Department of Medicine: Research Day Award, 2005
  • Prostate Cancer Foundation: Young Investigator Award, 2008

Publications

  • Oral Nutritional Supplements and Body Composition Outcomes Among GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Users: Real-World Evidence. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2026; 19:574765.. View in PubMed
  • Appeal and Sensory Characteristics of Oral Nicotine Products in Young Adults Who Vape E-Cigarettes. Nicotine Tob Res. 2026 01 22; 28(2):204-212.. View in PubMed
  • Effect of packaging with versus without candy-oriented marketing themes on the appeal and sensory attributes of flavoured e-cigarettes. Tob Control. 2026 01 08; 35(1):63-70.. View in PubMed
  • GLP-1 receptor agonist utilization is associated with a low risk of Anesthesia-related complications prior to total joint arthroplasty. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2025 Dec 06; 36(1):37.. View in PubMed
  • Author Correction: Fasting mimicking diet cycles versus a Mediterranean diet and cardiometabolic risk in overweight and obese hypertensive subjects: a randomized clinical trial. NPJ Metab Health Dis. 2025 Sep 23; 3(1):38.. View in PubMed
  • Total Hip Arthroplasty Among Superobese Patients: Proceed With Caution. Arthroplast Today. 2025 Aug; 34:101770.. View in PubMed
  • Effects of ‘Ice’ flavoured e-cigarettes with synthetic cooling agent WS-23 or menthol on user-reported appeal and sensory attributes. Tob Control. 2025 04 01; 34(2):175-182.. View in PubMed
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists: A Practical Overview for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Ann Plast Surg. 2025 01 01; 94(1):121-127.. View in PubMed
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide Receptor-1 Agonists Used for Medically-Supervised Weight Loss in Patients With Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: Critical Considerations for the Arthroplasty Surgeon. Arthroplast Today. 2024 Jun; 27:101327.. View in PubMed
  • Super-Obesity is Associated With an Increased Risk of Complications Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2024 12; 39(12):2986-2991.e1.. View in PubMed