He attended Pine Crest Preparatory School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was a scholar-athlete awardee, All-American swimmer, and selected to the Athletic Hall of Fame and the Arete Society.
Kone then went on to be director of the division of renal diseases and hypertension (2000–06), vice-chairman (2000–03) and then chairman (2004–07) of the department of internal medicine (2004–07), and inaugural holder of The James T. and Nancy B. Willerson Chair (2001–07) at that institution.
[4][5] During his tenure as dean, the number of clinical specialties at the UF-affiliated Shands Teaching Hospital recognized in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of "America's Best Hospitals" increased from 7 to 11,[6] Shands Healthcare was selected for the Governor's Sterling Award for performance excellence,[7] the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute was established, and state funding to the University of Florida for medical education increased for the first time in seven years.
In May 2008, University of Florida president J. Bernard Machen abruptly "relieved" Kone of his duties as Dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine[12] amid controversy regarding Kone's decision --- publicly supported by Machen[13] --- to override the medical selection committee and admit the son of a politically active physician who was personally recommended by Governor Charlie Crist[14] and State Senate President Ken Pruitt,[15] which was disclosed when medical selection committee members illegally breached the accepted student's confidentiality to the press,[16] (the student subsequently graduated from the UF College of Medicine and is a practicing physician) and Kone's objections regarding "deals" that had been struck by his predecessor C. Craig Tisher, M.D.
On June 18, 2009, Florida Governor Crist signed into law the "Double-dipping Reform Bill" to prevent state employees from simultaneously collecting retirement benefits and a salary.
He was President of the Southern Society of Clinical Investigation,[28] and a member of the Leadership Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease of the American Heart Association.
Kone is also recognized as an American record holder (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), All-American (2010, 2013-2022), Pool All-Star (2014, 2019), and twenty-six time national age group champion in United States Masters Swimming.