Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center’s first official gathering for international fellows and HUMC professors ended with a resounding success, paving a way for a Korea’s leading medical institution to improve its international fellowship program and foster its ties with international doctors.

The gathering, which was held at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital on March 8, was participated by over 40 HUMC professors and international fellows from five countries including India, Mongolia and Nepal.

Among the HUMC participants include Dr. Ho-Guen Chang, director of the hospital, Dr. Jun Dong Chang of orthopedic surgery, Dr. Sang Soo Lee of orthopedic surgery, Dr. Sang Kon Lee of urology, Dr. Hong Jin Lee of pediatric and adolescent medicine and Mr. Heesung Yoon, director of management strategy.

Two distinguished guests from Mongolia - Dr. Onon Bal, an orthopedic surgeon at Second General Hospital of Mongolia who’s also former Hallym international fellow, and Dr. Otgongerel, Director of Mongolia’s Gvurvan Gal Hospital, HUMC’s partner institution- also joined the event to congratulate the 1st Hallym International Fellows Day.

Followed by a brief introduction of HUMC and its globalization achievement and international fellowship program, each international fellow gave a presentation on their country’s healthcare system, their hospital in home, what they want to achieve through HUMC fellowship. They also suggested ideas for improving the fellowship program.

“I applied for Hallym international fellowship without a hesitation after I saw Dr. Chang’s arthroplasty surgery methods at Chang’s Orthopedic Conference [a conference named after him] in India,” Dr. Jay D. Shah, an Indian fellow said. “Although I’m very busy every day, there’s no better opportunity like this to learn Korea’s state-of-the art treatment system and medical expertise in-depth.”

“Fellowship is very important for academic experience for doctors as it gives them fundamentals of academic activities,” said Dr. Jung Dong Chang.

Adding that his study in the U.S. greatly helped him to establish all necessary fundamentals to become a qualified physician, Dr. Chang said he “strongly recommend international fellows to enjoy Korea and HUMC.”

Dr. Sang Soo Lee said, “I hope today’s meeting will be another turning point for us to expand international exchanges and make people healthier.”

All international fellows received a Hallym Honorary Ambassador plaque as a symbol of friendship. These plaques are given to encourage international fellows to closely work with HUMC for treating patients in their home countries when they face difficulties treating patients there due to limited resources.

“The ultimate goal of Hallym International Fellows Day is to encourage international fellows to make greater contributions for improving healthcare of patients in their home countries and to take the lead in medical advancement,” said Dr. Ho-Guen Chang, director of Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital. “As a leading medical institution with world-class medical expertise, the HUMC will continue developing international fellowship program to dedicate to the welfare of humankind.”

The Hallym International Fellows Day, created by international cooperation team, is born after HUMC decided to host an event to bring all international fellows together at one place in appreciation for their hard work in fellowship program and to deepen friendship. It will be held annually starting this year.

International fellowship is one of core HUMC’s focuses for globalization. Since 2006, under the mission of ‘dedicate to the welfare of humankind,’ HUMC has invited international fellows in the world to share best medical knowledge and experiences with international fellows.

International fellows who have successfully completed training they are now playing a key role in improving the quality of healthcare in their home countries. The number of international fellows has been rising constantly year by year. A total of 124 doctors from 14 countries joined the international fellowship program.