John Paul Kim, MD
Interventional Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology. Founder, SSMC Pain & Wellness, Phnom Penh.
- Diplomate, ABA Anesthesiology
- Diplomate, ABA Pain Medicine
- Pain Medicine Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School
- 20+ years of medical experience
Why SSMC exists
Pain that doesn't go away changes everything: work, sleep, family, mood. Dr. John Paul Kim founded Sing-Specialists Medical Centre (SSMC) Pain & Wellness in Phnom Penh so that patients in Cambodia no longer have to fly to Singapore or elsewhere abroad for modern, evidence-based pain care.
Dr. Kim is a US-trained, double board-certified physician, holding American Board of Anesthesiology certifications in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, with more than 20 years of medical experience, over 15 of them as a fellowship-trained pain specialist. He studied at Yale University, earned his MD and completed anesthesiology residency at Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed his Pain Medicine fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. The Brigham fellowship program was the inaugural recipient of the American Academy of Pain Medicine's Pain Fellowship Excellence Award, and its Pain Management Center has been honored three times as an American Pain Society Clinical Center of Excellence.
His practice focuses on precise, image-guided (fluoroscopic) procedures for neck, back, and joint pain: epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections and medial branch blocks, sacroiliac joint and genicular procedures, and sympathetic blocks, using the same C-arm imaging found in US and Singapore tertiary centres.
His philosophy is simple: diagnose first, treat precisely, and never over-promise. Diagnostic procedures are done awake, because an accurate answer matters more than a comfortable guess. Treatment plans are multimodal and aligned with US specialty-society guidelines. Fees are published, so there are no surprise bills.
Dr. Kim provides care in English, with Khmer-speaking staff available at the clinic.
“My job is to find where the pain is truly coming from, treat that source precisely, and help you rebuild. Less pain is the start. A fuller life is the goal.”
At a glance
- Board-certified in Anesthesiology and in Pain Medicine (American Board of Anesthesiology)
- Harvard-trained pain specialist (Brigham and Women's Hospital fellowship)
- Fluoroscopy- and ultrasound-guided spine, joint, and nerve procedures
- Consultations in English; Khmer-speaking staff at the clinic
- Published fees; new patients and physician referrals welcome
Education and board certification
| Year | Institution | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Yale University | Bachelor of Science | |
| 2005 | Tufts University School of Medicine | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2009 | Tufts University School of Medicine | Residency, Anesthesiology |
| 2010 | Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School | Fellowship, Pain Medicine |
| 2010 | American Board of Anesthesiology | Diplomate, Anesthesiology |
| 2010 | American Board of Anesthesiology | Diplomate, Pain Medicine (subspecialty certification) |
Credentials you can check in one click
We would rather you verify than take our word for it. Both of the facts below are permanent and publicly documented.
- Double board certification. Dr. Kim's certifications in Anesthesiology and in Pain Medicine can be confirmed through the American Board of Anesthesiology's public physician lookup at theaba.org.
- Fellowship program honours. The Brigham and Women's Hospital Pain Medicine fellowship was the inaugural recipient of the AAPM Pain Fellowship Excellence Award (2013). Its Pain Management Center's three American Pain Society Clinical Center of Excellence awards are documented in a peer-reviewed publication (Pain Medicine, 2016; PubMed 27794636).
What the specialties mean
Interventional pain medicine treats pain at its source with targeted procedures such as facet joint injections, epidural steroid injections, and nerve blocks, interrupting pain signals along specific nerve pathways.
Anesthesiology is the specialty of total perioperative care, including anesthesia, critical care, and pain medicine. It is the training that underpins safe sedation and monitoring during every procedure at SSMC.
What Dr. Kim treats
Spine
- Low back and neck pain
- Degenerative spine disease and spinal stenosis
- Radicular pain (sciatica, arm pain)
- Facet joint arthritis
- Sacroiliac joint pain
Joints and muscles
- Knee osteoarthritis and chronic knee pain
- Hip and shoulder pain
- Myofascial pain and trigger points
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain
Nerve pain
- Neuropathic pain and post-surgical pain
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Trigeminal and occipital neuralgia
- Phantom limb pain
- Cancer-related pain
Procedures
- Epidural steroid injections (interlaminar, transforaminal, caudal)
- Facet joint injections and medial branch blocks
- Sacroiliac and genicular nerve blocks
- Sympathetic blocks (stellate ganglion, lumbar)
- Joint, bursa, and trigger point injections
Three commitments to every patient
An accurate diagnosis
Diagnostic blocks are done awake and interpreted honestly: the diagnosis is proven before it is treated.
Precise, image-guided treatment
Every spinal procedure is performed under live fluoroscopy, following ASRA and International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) standards, with full monitoring and emergency equipment in the room.
Honest expectations
No procedure helps everyone. You will hear realistic ranges, not promises, and a plan for what comes next whichever way a treatment goes.
Take the first step toward relief.
Book a consultation. A referral from another doctor is welcome but not required.