Kurt Hong, MD, PhD

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.

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

• Fasting-mimicking diet causes hepatic and blood markers changes indicating reduced biological age and disease risk Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 20; 15(1):1309. . View in PubMed
• The potential role of GLP-1 receptor agonist targeting in fertility-sparing treatment in obese patients with endometrial malignant pathology: a call for research Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2023 04; 23(4):385-395. . View in PubMed
• Nutrition Care for Poorly Nourished Outpatients Reduces Resource Use and Lowers Costs J Prim Care Community Health. 2021 Jan-Dec; 12:21501327211017014. . View in PubMed
• Morbid obesity: potential effects of hormonal contraception Contraception. 2018 09; 98(3):174-180. . View in PubMed
• Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease Sci Transl Med. 2017 02 15; 9(377). . View in PubMed
• Naltrexone/Bupropion extended release-induced weight loss is independent of nausea in subjects without diabetes Clin Obes. 2016 Oct; 6(5):305-12. . View in PubMed
• Body fat and body-mass index among a multiethnic sample of college-age men and women J Obes. 2013; 2013:790654. . View in PubMed
• A controlled trial of protein enrichment of meal replacements for weight reduction with retention of lean body mass Nutr J. 2008 Aug 27; 7:23. . View in PubMed
• Insulin, hs-CRP, leptin, and adiponectinAn analysis of their relationship to the metabolic syndrome in an obese population with an elevated waist circumference. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2008 Mar; 6(1):64-73. . View in PubMed
• Differentiation of human circulating fibrocytes as mediated by transforming growth factor-beta and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma J Biol Chem. 2007 Aug 03; 282(31):22910-20. . View in PubMed
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: pathogenesis, identification, progression, and management Nutr Rev. 2007 Aug; 65(8 Pt 1):376-84. . View in PubMed
• Characterization of human fibrocytes as circulating adipocyte progenitors and the formation of human adipose tissue in SCID mice FASEB J. 2005 Dec; 19(14):2029-31. . View in PubMed
• CXCR2/CXCR2 ligand biology during lung transplant ischemia-reperfusion injury J Immunol. 2005 Nov 15; 175(10):6931-9. . View in PubMed
• Role of CXCR2/CXCR2 ligands in vascular remodeling during bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome J Clin Invest. 2005 May; 115(5):1150-62. . View in PubMed
• Circulating fibrocytes traffic to the lungs in response to CXCL12 and mediate fibrosis J Clin Invest. 2004 Aug; 114(3):438-46. . View in PubMed
• Body weight loss with phentermine alone versus phentermine and fenfluramine with very-low-calorie diet in an outpatient obesity management program: a retrospective study Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2003 Jul; 64(7):447-60. . View in PubMed

• Goran, Michael
• Matsuo, Koji
• Lerman, Caryn
• Peters, Anne
• Longo, Valter