On July 3-5, World Korean Medical Organization
(WKMO) hosted its 3rd Annual Convention at Le Parker Meridien hotel in New York
City. This convention provided an opportunity for all healthcare professionals
to interact and create global leadership. The convention focused on the theme
of “Cultural Competence in Healthcare” and featured various programs focusing
on issues of ethnic disparity and medical and surgical symposia. All of the
programs during the convention allowed for greater discussion and exchange of
ideas. Ultimately, this convention aimed to enforce the solidarity among Korean
health care professionals in order to globalize and advance connections in
healthcare.
There were over 250 participants including
students, physicians, non-physicians, industry experts and community leaders.
Participants came from over 12 different countries including Brazil, China,
Paraguay, Korea, New Zealand, and the UK.
The registration session on July 3rd marked
the start of the 3rd WKMO Annual Convention. During registration, all
participants came to check in and receive their name-tags, programs, and other
items in preparation for the convention.
Later that night, the opening reception took
place at the Penthouse of Le Parker Meridien. The opening reception was a great
time of networking and socializing for all participants. Opening statements
were made by Chul S. Hyun, President of WKMO, and Hyung Kwon Kim, WKMO
Convention Chair, after the Korean Drum Performance. Next, congratulatory
remarks were made by Woo-Kyung Kim, President of Korea University Medical
Center, Richard Rhee, Professor at Rutgers University, and Augustine Choi,
Sanford I. Weill Chairman and Professor of Medicine. Overall, the opening
reception was a fruitful event and generated a positive synergy that lasted
throughout the convention.
There was a total of 10 forum sessions
including all lunch sessions and other student forums, with a total of 41
speakers. The forum sessions began on the morning of Friday, July 4 with
Session A focusing on Stomach Cancer: Epidemiology and Treatments. Speakers
were Han-Kwang Yang, MD, Ph.D., FACS, Professor and Chief of Gastrointestinal
Surgery in the Department of Surgery & Cancer Research Institute at Seoul
National University College of Medicine, Andre Lee, MD, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor and attending physician in the Department of Liver Transplantation
and Surgery at Hospital Das Clinicas University of Dao Paulo Medical School,
Yoonmi Lee, MD, Ph.D., Instructor at Columbia University Medical Center, Woo
Jin Hyung, MD, Ph.D., Professor in Department of Surgery at Yonsei University
and Yanghee Woo, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Medical
Center.
The following lunch session was titled ‘W
Medical Strategy Dialogs.’ In this session, a number of industry and academic
leaders were present. Introduction of current status of bio-medical R&D in
Korea and Health Science Programs of University of Tennessee were the major
topics of presentations. Further discussions of various potential collaboration
opportunities with both Korea and US were followed. Speakers were Kyung Sun,
Director of Korea Artificial Organ Center, President of Korean Society of
Medical and Biological Engineering, and a chair of Board for the Korean Society
for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Kennard D. Brown, Executive Vice
Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer at the University of Tennessee Health
Science Center.
The day continued with Session B, focusing on
Mental Health Issues of Korean Americans. Speakers were Su Yeon Lee, Ph.D.,
Associate at Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health, Hochang Benjamin Lee, MD, Associate Professor and Director of
Psychological Medicine Service at Yale University, Wunjung Kim, MD, MPH,
Professor and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of
Psychiatry at Rutgers University, David Ko, MD, President of Korean American Medical
Association (KAMA) and Associate Professor of Neurology at USC, and Tai P. Yoo,
MD, MBA, DLFAPA, Professor, Chairman, and Director of Psychiatry at the UCLA
Kern Medical Center. Many of the speakers spoke about how mental illness is
looked down upon in Korea and how Korean American patients are therefore
unwilling to see a doctor about their problems.
The last session of the day, Session C,
focused on Telemedicine: Opportunities, Challenges, and Practical Application
in Europe and US. Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and technology
to provide clinical healthcare at a distance. Speakers were Jay H. Sanders, MD,
FACP, FACAAI, CEO of The Global Telemedicine Group and Professor of Medicine
(Adjunct) at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Joe McMenamin, MD, JD, Chief
Legal Officer of W Medical Strategy Group, Laura Ryan, MD, Associate Medical
Director with NHS24, Scotland’s National Telehealth and Telecare Organization,
and Mark Paxton, JD, an Executive Vice President of W Medical Strategy Group.
The day ended with the WKMSO (World Korean
Medical Student Organization) Gala, held at the Penthouse of Le Parker
Meridien. Keynote speeches were given by Augustine Choi, Sanford I. Weill
Chairman and Professor of Medicine, and Kyung Sun, Professor at Korea
University Medical School. The morning of July 5th started with productive
activity, Run for One Korea. 40 participants took part in this 2- mile run
through Central Park designed to invite medial representatives from South Korea
to promote unification in medicine.
The forums sessions for the day began with
Session D which focused on Models to Improve Cultural Competence in Healthcare.
Speakers were Samuel Noh, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of
Toronto, Kyung Hee Choi, Vice President of the Korean Medical Program of Holy
Name Medical Center, Paul Mustacchia, MD, FACP, MBA, Chief Physician and
Gastroenterology Fellowship Program Director at Nassau University Medical
Center, Helaine B. Ledany, MPA, CNHA, FACHCA, Administrator of Buckingham at
Norwood, and Dongsoo Kim, Ph.D., Clinical Director of the Clinical Psychology
Externship Program at Korean Medical Program of Holy Name Medical Center.
Following Session D was the WKMSO Research
Poster Presentation. This was the 1st Annual WKMSO Medical Student Research
Symposium. Through this opportunity, students could showcase their research to
other students and physicians. The research posters covered a variety of
topics, many including patient-related clinical data and experiences. There
were 12 students who presented, and their research posters were displayed
throughout the forum rooms.
After the Research Poster Presentation was
Lunch Session 2. The speaker for this session was Robert S. Brown, Jr., MD,
MPH, who is affiliated with New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and New
York-Presbyterian/Columbia. The topic of his talk was Hepatitis C: Transforming
the Treatment Paradigm.
The next session, Session E, focused on the
Future of Medical Imaging. This session was sponsored by Samsung. Speakers were
Jinha Park, MD, Ph.D., Director of MRI and Radiology Research at the City of
Hope Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute, John Park, MD, Ph.D., Chief
of the Division of Interventional Radiology at the City of Hope Medical Center,
Dong Jun Lim, MD, Ph.D., Assistant and Associate Professor in Department of
Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism at Seoul St.
Mary’s Hospital, Tae Kyoung Kim, MD, Ph.D., FRCPC, Radiologist and Professor at
University of Toronto, Sang Choon Cha, MD, Ph.D., President of Brazilian
Society of Fetal Medicine, and Kyongtae Ty Bae, MD, Ph.D., Chairman and
Professor of the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
The last session, Session F, focused on
Hepatitis B: Epidemiology and Treatments in Asian Population. Speakers were
Chul S. Hyun, MD, Ph.D., attending gastroenterologist at New York Presbyterian
Hospital and current President of World Korean Medical Organization, W. Ray
Kim, MD, current treasurer of American Association for the Study of Liver
Diseases, Chair of the Development Committee, and Chief of the Division of
Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University and Joseph Ahn, MD, MS,
FACG, AGAF, attending physician, director of Clinical Hepatology, and Associate
Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at
Oregon Health & Science University. The entire convention concluded with
the WKMO Gala, held at the Penthouse of Le Parker Meridien. The gala opened
with a wonderful performance by Soprano Haeran Hong. After opening statements
by Hyung Kwon Kim, 2014 WKMO Convention Chair, congratulatory remarks were made
by David Ko, current KAMA President, Hon. Se-joo Son, Korean Consulate, Young
ho Lee, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Hon. Grace Meng, Member of US
Congress, and Woo Kyung Kim, President of Korea University Hospital.
Congratulatory remarks were followed by dinner. A welcoming address by Chul S.
Hyun, MD, Ph.D., President of WKMO was also made.
Next, Kwang Tae Kim, MD, Ph.D., President of
International Hospital Federation, gave his keynote speech. Then, WKMO
recognized five individuals during the Award Ceremony. The first award,
Achievement Award, went to Han-Kwang Yang, MD, Ph.D., FACS, for his outstanding
contribution to the development of academic and clinical medicine. The second
award, Global Health & Medical Diplomacy Award, went to Kee Park, MD, to
recognize his achievement, performance, and contribution to the advancement of
human and diplomatic value of healthcare throughout the world.
The second award, Young Leader Award, went to
Yoon-Kyo An for her constant encouragement and fostering of the young
generation of medical students and physicians around the world. The fourth and
fifth awards, Awards of Appreciation, went to Kyoung-Ryul Lee, MD, Ph.D., and
Hyung-Kwon Kim, MD, for their generous and unique contributions to the
promotion and advancement of World Korean Medical Organization and its vision.
Overall, the 3rd Annual WKMO Convention was a
huge accomplishment. The convention truly succeeded in bringing together an
international congregation of healthcare professionals, ensuring a promising
future for WKMO.
All forums and galas were highly attended and
provided opportunities for participants from different arenas of healthcare to
interact, as the forums covered a wide range of topics from Hepatitis C to
Telemedicine. The speakers gave intellectually stimulating talks, and the
participants were fully engaged. The other programs included in the convention were
successful as well. Specifically, the Mentor-Mentee Program gave the students a
chance to meet physicians in their respective fields, explore career
opportunities, and gain mentors as they look ahead to their futures.
In conclusion, the convention served as an
excellent platform for all healthcare professionals. Participants from all
sectors of global health were convened to innovate and develop strategies for
the rapidly changing healthcare delivery system. The convention gave ample
opportunity for all participants to network and build long lasting
relationships, all of which are essential to the future of WKMO and global
healthcare.
Sangji Lee
Associate Director
World Korean Medical Organization
Sarah Hyun
Assistant Editor