image: Group photo of participants
Credit: KU Medicine
On Friday, July 4, the Korea University College of Medicine hosted the K-CLUB (Korea Club for Leading-edge University Biomedical-science) International Symposium at the SK Future Hall on the university’s Seoul campus in Seongbuk District, bringing together distinguished global scholars for an in-depth examination of “Health for Humanity.”
This year’s inaugural K-CLUB International Symposium was organized to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthen global research networks in addressing shared challenges facing humanity, including climate change, infectious diseases, and global health issues. During the event, Korea University College of Medicine engaged with visiting international scholars—many serving as adjunct professors at the college—to explore the future of human health from diverse perspectives spanning clinical care, biomedical convergence, health policy, and human behavior.
The first session, chaired by Professor Sun Wook Hwang, Vice Dean of Research, focused on “Therapeutic Mechanisms for Clinical Translation.” Topics included the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the potential of low-cost, natural product–based treatments for developing countries, presented by Professor Henry Chan of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Professor Olaniyan Tope of Kwara State University, Nigeria.
The second session, “Biomedical Convergence for Global Healthcare,” was chaired by Professor Sung Gu Kang from the Department of Urology at Korea University Anam Hospital. Discussions covered international collaborative research on prostate cancer, vascular biology, and strategies for global drug development, featuring contributions from Professor Isaac Kim of Yale School of Medicine (USA), Professor Hanjoong Jo of Georgia Tech (USA), and Professor Pakhradiyev of Kazakhstan National Medical University.
The third session, “Integration of Health Policy & Human Behaviors,” was chaired by Professor Eunsoo Choi of the Department of Psychology. Presentations explored cardiovascular risk factor management, spatial social psychology, climate–pandemic resilience, and human virology, with speakers including Professor Mirakimov of the Kyrgyzstan Academy of Medicine, Professor Lentflow of the University of Cambridge (UK), Professor Tran Bach of Hanoi University (Vietnam), and Professor Waheed of the National University of Sciences and Technology (Pakistan).
In addition, numerous faculty members from both basic and clinical sciences—including Vice Dean of Academic Affairs Hyeon Soo Kim (Department of Anatomy), Professor Man-Seong Park (Department of Microbiology), Professor Jee Hoon Roh (Department of Physiology), Professor Sung-soo Park (Department of Surgery), Professor Ki Jin Ryu (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology), Professor Jinwoo Park (Department of Neurology), and Professor Sun Young Yim (Department of Gastroenterology)—participated in in-depth discussions before and after each session. Graduate students also took part in poster presentations and interactive discussions.
In his opening remarks, Dean Seong Bom Pyun emphasized the college’s commitment to “breaking down barriers across borders and disciplines to foster multidisciplinary research and strengthen cooperative networks to tackle global health issues together.” He expressed his gratitude to participants from the college’s official partner institutions—Yale School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore School of Medicine—for their collaboration in nurturing physician-scientists and expanding student exchange opportunities.
Closing the event, Dean Jae-yong Park of the College of Health Science remarked, “I hope K-CLUB will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange that drives healthcare innovation in Korea and around the world, and that this year’s sessions will lead to concrete steps toward new international collaborative research.”
Looking ahead, the Korea University College of Medicine plans to use the K-CLUB International Symposium to further its vision as a research-driven, world-leading medical school—expanding exchanges with prominent scholars worldwide and advancing global cooperation and educational programs grounded in cutting-edge biomedical research.