Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Under the theme of ‘Metabolic Syndrome & Lifestyle Modification,’ the 5th Hallym-Oulu International Symposium was successfully held at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital on April 25, 2017.

As metabolic syndrome has emerged as a major health issue all over the world, nearly 150 experts in the field of clinical medicine, nursing, social welfare, nutrition, and information and communication technology (ICT), joined the academic meeting.

Distinguished scholars from the University of Oulu, Finland, including Professor Markku Savolainen, Professor Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Dr. Tuire Salonurmi, and Ms. Terhi Jokelainen presented their research outcomes and shared their experiences on the issue.

The symposium was comprised of two sessions and 9 lectures. The first session covered 'Metabolic syndrome & obesity in Korea; Trend in epidemiology and characteristics', 'Metabolic syndrome - a multiple risk factor of atherosclerosis and its complications', 'Characteristic features of cardiometabolic risk in Korean diabetic patients', and 'The role of immunosenescence in the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases'.

In the second session, participants discussed on 'Two-year outcomes in PrevMetSyn trial - comparison of an ICT-based HBCSS program and face-to-face group counseling', 'Multidisciplinary intervention for obese children and adolescents: ICAAN study', 'ICT-based Health Behavior Change Support System (HBCSS) as tools in the lifestyle change', 'Clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescent: KoCAS study', and 'Cognitive-behavioral web-based service in lifestyle modification - The case PrevMetSyn'.

At the closing ceremony, Dr. Kyung-Soon Hong, Dean for Hallym University College of Medicine said, "I was deeply impressed that we are now using the information and communication technologies to help patients maintain healthy behavior changes in the long term. We could see that the convergence between medical science and new technologies makes significant differences." She added, "In this sense, today’s symposium was a great opportunity for all of us to learn the latest trends in treating metabolic syndrome. I firmly believe we will accomplish a much higher level of global excellence by sharing advanced knowledge and experiences through this academic meeting."

The specific programs including topics and speakers are as follows:

■ Session 1
1. Metabolic syndrome & obesity in Korea; Trend in epidemiology and characteristics
(Prof. Chul Sik Kim, Div. of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
2. Metabolic syndrome - a multiple risk factor of atherosclerosis and its complications
(Prof. Markku Savolainen, Biocenter Oulu & Research Unit of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu)
3. Characteristic features of cardiometabolic risk in Korean diabetic patients
(Prof. Eun-Gyoung Hong, Div. of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
4. The role of immunosenescence in the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases
(Associate Prof. Jong-Chan Youn, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)

■ Session 2
1. Two-year outcomes in PrevMetSyn trial – comparison of an ICT-based HBCSS program and face-to-face group counseling
(Dr. Tuire Salonurmi, Biocenter Oulu & Research Unit of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu)
2. Multidisciplinary intervention for obese children and adolescents: ICAAN study
(Prof. Kyung Hee Park, Dept. of Family Medicine, Hallym University)
3. ICT-based Health Behavior Change Support System (HBCSS) as tools in the lifestyle change
(Prof. Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Dept. of Information Processing Science, University of Oulu)
4. Clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescent: KoCAS study (Korean Child-Adolescent Study)
(Mr. Young-Gyun Seo, Dept. of Family Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital)
5. Cognitive-behavioral web-based service in lifestyle modification - The case PrevMetSyn
(Ms. Terhi Jokelainen, Clinical Nutritionist, Oulu University Hospital)

By Chul Kwon, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (chris@hallym.or.kr)