Dr. Lim received his medical degree from Yonsei University Medical School, in Seoul, South Korea.　 He completed his internship and then Otolaryngology residency at National Medical Center (NMC) in Seoul, South Korea.　 Dr. Lim then completed a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship at Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School.　 He was a world authority on human temporal bone histopathology, the morphology and cell biology of the ear, and on the innate immune system of the middle and inner ear.　 Dr. Lim also pioneered scanning electron microscopy for ear research. He was widely recognized as one of the preeminent otitis media researchers in the world and served as a mentor, collaborator and colleague to many who have been and are currently continuing to push forward the field of OM research.

Dr. Lim was an international figure in his field.　 He was a member and leader of many prestigious Societies. In addition to being a founding member of the Symposia on Recent Advances in Otitis Media, along with Ben Senturia, MD and Charles Bluestone, MD, other professional organization in which he played a leading role included: the Association for Research in Otolaryngology; AAO-HNS; the American Otological Society; the Barany Society (International Vestibular Research Society);　 and the Collegium Oto-rhino-laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum (International Honor Society for Research in Otorhinolaryngology). Among his many honors and awards, he was a Fogarty International scholar, a recipient of the Claude Pepper NIH Award, the Javits NIH Award and the Guyot Prize from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. At our Otitis Media meetings Dr. Lim was a constant fixture presenting cutting edge research and also served as resident photographer and historian.　

Among the positions he held during his career, Dr. Lim's tenures at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) -　 National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Ohio State University and the House Ear Institute were instrumental in developing the laboratories of many in our field and other related disciplines as he was a consummate educator and mentor to numerous students, residents, fellows and colleagues. His mentees have gone on to develop many of the successful laboratories currently funded by the NIH in the area of otitis media research and have, in turn, mentored many additional successful investigators creating a ripple effect of progress in this field of study.

David, as he was known to so many of us, was a great friend who lived life to the fullest. He contributed measurably in many ways and it is difficult to imagine an Otitis Media Symposium without him - In less than one year we will convene the 20th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Otitis Media in his home town of Los Angeles.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to all of the Lim family for their great loss.

Memorial Service Information:
Friday, August 17, 2018, 9:30 A. M.
Cathedral of our lady of the Angels
555 W. Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012