Doctor Kimmey received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He then moved to the Pacific Northwest to complete his internal medicine and gastroenterology training at the University of Washington. He was a faculty member of the Gastroenterology Division at the University of Washington for 20 years, most recently as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Digestive Disease Center at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Dr. Kimmey is internationally known for his research in endoscopic ultrasound, therapeutic endoscopy, and the detection and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer and pre-cancer. He has over 150 publications describing his research findings in major medical journals and textbooks. He has been active in all of the major gastroenterology professional societies and is a Past President of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He is currently a member of the Gastroenterology Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine.