To Be Held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on the 22nd
"Establishing a Stable System for Nurturing Physician-Scientists"
Jin Jinsook (Gwangju Buk-gu-eul) and Lee Gaeho (Damyang, Jangseong, Yeonggwang, Hampyeong in South Jeolla Province), members of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea and serving on the Health and Welfare Committee, will jointly host a forum titled "Establishing a Korean-Style Harvard-MIT Convergence Technology Medicine (HST) Model" at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building, Room 2, on April 22 at 10 a.m. The forum is organized by the Global Physician-Scientist Development Council.
The forum aims to discuss the establishment of a support system for medical science convergence research as one way to strengthen South Korea’s medical technology research capabilities in the rapidly changing biohealth environment. The United States recognized the importance of physician-scientists and introduced the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in 1964, producing physician-scientists who account for 3% of medical school graduates each year. In Korea, a "Physician-Scientist Research Ecosystem Development Project" is underway to develop joint research programs between medical schools and graduate schools of science and engineering. However, the number of physician-scientists produced annually remains at only 47. As a result, there have been calls to establish a stable system for nurturing physician-scientists.
In the first session of the forum, Kim Juhan, Vice President for Research at Seoul National University College of Medicine, will deliver a keynote presentation on "The Importance of Medical Science Convergence Research: Focusing on the Harvard-MIT HST Program." This will be followed by presentations on "The Current Status and Future of Domestic Medical Science Convergence Research" by Lee Hoyoung, Professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine (SNU-KAIST Convergence Research), Kim Hyungseok, Professor at Chonnam National University College of Medicine (Chonnam National University College of Medicine-GIST Convergence Research), and Kim Chulhong, Professor at POSTECH (Catholic University College of Medicine-POSTECH Convergence Research). Kim Wanuk, Professor at Catholic University College of Medicine, will present on "Global Physician-Scientist Development 2.0 Strategy."
The second session, a comprehensive panel discussion, will be chaired by Min Jungjun, Professor at Chonnam National University College of Medicine and Director of Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. Panelists include Hong Seungryeong, Director of the Health and Medical Technology Development Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Nam Hyukmo, Director of the Advanced Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT; Park Sora, Director of the Inha University Regenerative Medicine Promotion Foundation; Lee Junhaeng, Professor at the Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University College of Medicine; and Kim Beommin, Director of the Korea Medical Device Development Fund at Korea University.
On April 21, Jin Jinsook stated, "Currently, at Chonnam National University College of Medicine-GIST, convergence research in the AI and bio fields, which are future growth engines, is actively underway," adding, "This forum will not only discuss the future of medical research but also serve as an opportunity to redesign the structure of Korea’s healthcare system and the direction for balanced regional development."
Jin further emphasized, "With the serious outflow of talent to the Seoul metropolitan area and growing gaps in regional healthcare, it is essential to establish a policy foundation that enables robust convergence research in medical science across the country. We will actively review the proposals made at the forum to create a stable system for nurturing physician-scientists."
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