Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center(HUMC) held a seminar with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital(NYPH) at the International Conference Room of Hallym University on May 20, under the theme of ‘Changing Medical Environment and Challenges of Social Work.’ It was the first international joint seminar on medical social work in Korea.

In the seminar, Paula A. Roberts, manager of the social work department at NYPH, lectured on ‘Why Social Work in Health Care – Challenges and Opportunities in Today’s Health Care Market,’ and Jennifer Greenman, social worker at NYPH, presented ‘The Social Work Role on the Medical Oncology Team.’

Gyong Ae Choi, manager of the social work team at Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, spoke on the roles and responsibilities of social workers in Korean medical institutions.
“This international seminar is an excellent opportunity to expand the currently limited roles of medical social workers, and to improve the quality of medical service,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hallym has been holding a joint symposium annually since it reached an international affiliation agreement in 2004 with NYPH which is composed of distinct U.S. medical centers of Columbia and Weill Cornell Universities. Since NYPH was first staffed by social workers in 1973, the number of social workers has been on the rise, and now 300-odd social workers are working for NYPH with over 2,300 beds at 25 wards.