Inauguration Ceremony Held for Lee Jiyeol as 25th Director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

"Innovation Across Generations, A Hospital Preparing for the Future"

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced on the 12th that it held the inauguration ceremony for its 25th hospital director, Professor Lee Jiyeol from the Department of Urology.

Lee Jiyeol, the newly appointed hospital director, is waving the hospital flag at the inauguration ceremony held on the 11th. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

The inauguration ceremony took place the previous afternoon in the main auditorium of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by Min Changki, President of the Catholic Medical Center, Father Kim Pyungman, Director of Spirituality, Jeon Youngjun, Director of Planning and Coordination, Father Bae Wonil, Director of Hospital Management, Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, as well as hospital directors and medical directors from CMC-affiliated hospitals, National Assembly members Cho Eunhee and Han Jia, Seocho District Mayor Jeon Seongsu, Hwang Kyuseok, President of the Seoul Medical Association, and over 500 distinguished guests and hospital staff.

In his inaugural address, the new hospital director Lee Jiyeol stated, "Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, with nearly 90 years of history, has overcome countless challenges, embraced the poor and marginalized, and fulfilled its noble mission of providing holistic care that respects life." He added, "Although the environment surrounding the medical community is far from easy, we must prepare for the next generation through 'innovation across generations and a hospital preparing for the future.'"

Director Lee specifically presented a blueprint that includes: swiftly overcoming the current medical crisis and normalizing medical services; strengthening specialized medical fields through the opening of in-hospital specialty hospitals, a new eye hospital, and a urologic cancer hospital; leading the future of medicine by nurturing young talent; establishing an advanced integrated medical center by introducing cutting-edge medical technologies such as AI, precision medicine, and next-generation proton therapy equipment; and growing into a research-oriented hospital where clinical care, research, and education form a virtuous cycle.

Min Changki, President of the Catholic Medical Center, said in his congratulatory remarks, "Today's inauguration ceremony is a valuable opportunity for Seoul St. Mary's Hospital to take another leap toward the future. When we move forward with unwavering determination toward the future, unafraid of change and innovation, our patient-centered medical services and treatment outcomes based on state-of-the-art medical technology will shine even brighter."

He continued, "In line with the management policy of 'expectation and courage' set forth by the standing executive director, the Catholic Medical Center also promises unwavering support and cooperation to ensure the continued development of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital."

Meanwhile, the new hospital director Lee Jiyeol graduated from the Catholic University College of Medicine in 1989 and earned both his master's and doctoral degrees from the same university. He has served as the inaugural director of the Smart Hospital at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, director of the Robotic Surgery Center, and clinical head of the Department of Urology. He is currently the director of the Catholic Prostate Research Institute and president of the Asia-Pacific Uro-Oncology Association.

He has performed 2,000 robotic surgeries, introduced Lutetium (Lu-177) therapy for metastatic prostate cancer for the first time in Korea, and is the only provider in Korea of NanoKnife treatment for localized prostate cancer. He is recognized as a world-renowned authority in the field of urologic cancer, having published numerous research results in international journals through active research collaborations with institutions in the United States, Japan, Singapore, and other countries.