Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University delegation visited University of Oulu in Finland and participated in the 11th Science Day of the Faculty of Medicine on February 18, 2014.

The delegation’s visit comes several months after the 4th Hallym-Oulu Joint International Symposium took place at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital in October 2013.

During the two-day visit from Feb. 17 to Feb. 18, the 6-member delegation led by Dr. Yong-Sun Kim, Executive Vice President for Health & Biomedical Sciences met with Oulu professors including Professor Markku Savolainen, Dean Emeritus of Faculty of Medicine and Professor Kari Laine, Director of Thule Institute.

Organized by Univ. of Oulu’s Faculty of Medicine, Oulu professors shared their latest research outcomes and progress in various topics ranging from “Translational cancer research; role of FICAN (Comprehensive Cancer Center Finland)” to “Computational medicine: a multidisciplinary and global endeavour to understand health and disease aetiology.”

The 11th Science Day has served as a good opportunity for Hallym professors to directly glimpse into research activities carried out in Oulu and learn the Finnish University’s research strength.

In a separate but related matter, Hallym delegates also sat down for talk with Oulu professors to share their research activities and exchange ideas for possible future collaboration.

From Hallym’s side, names of five professors stated in the below gave presentations of their research focus:

o. Professor Jae-Bong Park of Biochemistry
o. Professor Jung Han Yoon Park of Food Science and Nutrition
o. Professor Seungdo Kim of Environmental Science and Biotechnology
o. Professor Eun-Kyoung Choi of Cellular Aging and Neurobiology
o. Professor Young-Ho Koh of Interdepartmental Program in Biomedical Gerontology

From Oulu’s side, Dr. Antti Nissinen, a researcher at Dept. of Internal Medicine, and Mr. Justiina Ronkainen of Oulu Universtiy Hospital gave presentations on their ongoing researches. Professor Kari Majamaa, the previous dean, and his research group also showed interest in the meeting.

Since Hallym and Oulu sealed an affiliation agreement in 2008, they have organized a series of Hallym-Oulu joint international symposiums in Korea and Finland to share best medical expertise as well as deepen the two institution’s ties.

Distinguished medical scholars at the two institutions have so far exchanged up-to-date information and knowledge about various agenda in diabetes, oncology, neurology, allergy, neurological disorder and molecular epidemiology.

By Miju Kim, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (miju@hallym.or.kr)