Meet Daniel Kwon, MD

Dr. Kwon is a head and neck cancer surgeon with the USC Head and Neck Center and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC.

Here’s what you won’t find on his resume.

Becoming a surgeon was a lifelong dream.

“When I was six, I said I wanted to be a neurosurgeon. It wasn’t until my first year of medical school when I learned about head and neck surgery. After watching a head and neck surgeon remove a huge oral cancer and then rebuild the tongue and jaw using a fibula free flap — the same surgeries I perform now — I was hooked, and neurosurgery became my backup plan.”

He loves to run.

“When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me running across Los Angeles. I’ve competed in more than 25 marathons and ultramarathons. While I’m nowhere close to elite, I did win my last ultramarathon and came in fourth place (among the nonprofessionals) in the 2019 Los Angeles Marathon.

I love riding my bike for fun, and I often commute to work on my ebike. I’m also a big fan of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and the Angel City Football Club (ACFC).”

He’d swap careers with a pro soccer player.

“I’m quite happy with my career, but if I had to pick one person to trade careers with, I’d trade places with Lionel Messi. It would be interesting to see how it feels to be a peerless genius in your field. It is a bit astonishing to know that he has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in his field — and he is younger than me.”

Malcolm X was his biggest role model growing up.

“Malik El-Shabazz, also known as Malcolm X, was my childhood hero. To me, he represents courage and fearlessness in going against the grain. He dedicated his life to integrity, truth and principles, but also had the humility to grow and change with time. I believe he was a true American hero.”

The most impactful advancement in cancer care, in his opinion.

“Molecular genomic profiling has allowed us to provide more personalized cancer care tailored to each individual case. It has the growing ability to help us diagnose cancers earlier, tell us which treatments are better on a case-by-case basis and even alert us when cancers might be coming back.”

He hopes to see more equitable access to care.

“The medical breakthrough I hope to see become a reality in my lifetime is greater freedom and ability to provide fast, high-quality care to all patients when they need it.”

He enjoys a challenge.

“I chose to practice at an academic medical center because I enjoy solving the most difficult and complex problems. It is both stimulating and gratifying for me personally. I also like that I get to work alongside other world-class experts and help train the next generation of world-class doctors.”

The collaboration at Keck Medicine is unparalleled.

“At the USC Head and Neck Center, we work closely with an exceptional core group of clinical staff including nurses, therapists, dieticians and trainees. I appreciate the camaraderie of the teams who have a shared purpose to provide the best patient care possible.”

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