Dr. Choong Hyun Baick

A visitation will be held Friday, December 29, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Pacific View Legacy Chapel, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, California 92625. A funeral service will occur Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Pacific View Legacy Chapel.

Dr. Baick was born in Osaka, Japan on August 21, 1936, the son of a Korean doctor and his wife who were living in the Korean community in Japan. After World War II, his family returned to Busan where he saw South Korea being built and then plunged into the Korean War. After the war, Dr. Baick came to Los Angeles as a college student in 1956, determined to get the best medical education in the world. During his first year in America, Dr. Baick gave a speech to the Monrovia Rotary Club about why he came to the United States and what his ambitions were. The Rotarians were so impressed by Dr. Baick’s speech that they decided to sponsor his education with a full scholarship to college and medical school. Most of the financial support came from one specific Rotary club member, Dr. Delos Comstock, who mentored him through eight years of education at La Sierra University in Riverside and then Loma Linda University School of Medicine. All of Dr. Baick’s educational expenses were covered by the scholarship, and to earn personal spending money he worked as a fruit picker in the San Joaquin Valley, a bus boy at a Beverly Hills restaurant, a lab and X-ray technician, and various other jobs. Dr. Baick would later establish a scholarship in honor of Dr. Comstock, administered by the Monrovia Rotary Club. Dr. Baick also created scholarships for the Santa Ana and Tustin Rotary Clubs (now merged).

After graduating from medical school in 1964, Dr. Baick moved to Detroit for his medical internship at Detroit General Hospital/Wayne State University. That same year, he met Chung Ja Park, who attended graduate school at Wayne State University. In 1965, they were married.

In 1970, Dr. Baick completed his residency in general, thoracic, and vascular surgery at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. That year, he joined a private practice in Orange County, and was on staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Western Medical Center for thirty years. Through the decades, he noticed a steady increase in the number of women who came to see him for breast disease. He was especially alarmed to see that some already had advanced cases. He decided to make a dramatic pivot to specialize in breast cancer treatment. In his interaction with patients, Dr. Baick learned that breast cancer affects women not only physically but emotionally, and that it was important to think of treatment comprehensively. He envisioned providing care not only in the examination room and surgical suite, but at every step along the way. In 1992, Dr. Baick opened the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. He provided the clinical diagnosis and surgical management, recruited radiologists and oncologists to continue the comprehensive care, and built a facility that provided a single location that could handle every aspect of diagnoses and treatment. Easing anxiety and stress, providing comfort and dignity: these were as important as his surgical skills. In 2000, he was recruited to the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine to replicate his vision of a comprehensive breast care center. Dr. Baick then became the Director of the Breast Health Center as a Clinical Professor of Surgery. He held this position until his retirement in 2007.

Although Dr. Baick loved the practice of medicine and his family, he also fell in love with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1956. The hours spent listening to Vin Scully and reading Jim Murray were shared with his sons. Dr. Baick and his son Richard were in Dodger Stadium to see Kirk Gibson hit the winning home run in game one of the 1988 World Series. Unlike some in the crowd, Dr. Baick never considered leaving early. Later in life, he became a passionate golfer, something he also shared with his sons and friends.

Dr. Baick is survived by his wife of 58 years, Chung Ja Baick. With her he shared a love of family, their Irvine home, and traveling the world. He is also survived by their sons, Richard and John, and four grandchildren. Richard Baick followed in his father’s footsteps by attending Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is now a physician in Irvine. Richard’s wife, Donna Baick, also ended up following in Dr. Baick’s footsteps and is an associate clinical professor at UCI School of Medicine. Their children are Zoe and Ian. John Baick is a professor of history in Springfield, Massachusetts. His wife Alice Bers is an attorney who focuses on Medicare advocacy. Their children are Michael and Sarah.

Dr. Baick’s family wishes to thank the staff at Silverado Memory Care in Tustin for the compassionate care they provided.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Student Fund of the Alumni Association, School of Medicine of Loma Linda University. Link is here: https://my.llusmaa.org/g/in-memory-of-choong-h-baick

Or contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.