Introducing SNU Medicine’s International Platform


제목	Introducing SNU Medicine’s International Platform2026-06-18 23:35
카테고리	GLOBAL COMMUNITY
작성자	hi20260615
When Dr. Jong-wook Lee — a graduate of Seoul National University College of Medicine — rose to become Director-General of the World Health Organization in 2003, it was not an accident of fate. It was the product of an institution that had, for more than a century, trained physicians to see medicine not as a local vocation but as a global calling. Today, the college he once walked as a student stands as one of the most internationally connected medical schools in Asia — and the network it has built is broader, deeper, and more deliberate than ever before. This issue marks the launch of “Connected Across Continents,” a dedicated platform within INSIDE SNU Medicine for international engagement, global health, and the human stories that unfold when knowledge travels across borders. A NETWORK BUILT OVER DECADES SNU Medicine’s international footprint did not emerge overnight. Its roots stretch back to the Minnesota Project (1954–1961), a post-Korean War reconstruction program through which the University of Minnesota hosted 77 SNU faculty members in medicine, engineering, and agricultural sciences — helping rebuild a university, and a nation, from the ground up. That act of generosity shaped SNU Medicine’s institutional character in ways that endure today: the conviction that knowledge freely received must be freely shared. “ Knowledge freely received must be freely shared. ” The spirit of the Minnesota Project, still alive at SNU Medicine today Seven decades later, the college has formalized that spirit into a web of 115+ academic exchange agreements spanning 35 countries across six continents. The reach is genuinely global. AMERICAS Harvard Medical School · Johns Hopkins · Columbia University · MD Anderson · Cornell · University of Toronto · UBC EUROPE University of Oxford · University of Cambridge · King’s College London · KU Leuven · Goethe University Frankfurt · University of Basel · La Sapienza Rome ASIA-PACIFIC University of Tokyo · Kyoto University · Peking Union Medical College · NUS Yong Soo Lin · University of Melbourne · Mahidol University AFRICA · MIDDLE EAST Eswatini Medical Christian University · University of Yaounde 1 (Cameroon) · Gulf Medical University UAE · MBRU Dubai The addition of African partners signals something important: SNU Medicine’s global vision is not merely about prestige partnerships with elite Northern institutions. The recent MOU with the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon, and the establishment of Eswatini Medical Christian University as the first Korean-founded medical school in Africa, point toward a more ambitious and more equitable conception of what a global medical network can be. THE PLATFORMS THAT MAKE IT WORK A network of agreements is only as meaningful as the structures built to activate it. SNU Medicine has invested significantly in exactly that. Office of International Affairs (OIA) The operational spine of SNU Medicine’s global engagement — managing student exchange programs, visiting clinical electives, MOU coordination, and support for inbound and outbound academic exchanges. The OIA recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. JW Lee Center for Global Medicine Named in honor of Dr. Jong-wook Lee, the center runs capacity-building programs in surgery, maternal and neonatal health, infectious disease, and hearing screening across Asia, Africa, and Central Asia. Recent programs span Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Ghana, and Laos. Physician-Scientist Training Program A full-cycle support program for clinician-scientists from MD student through post-doctoral fellow, supporting international joint research and overseas training placements. Its magazine S received the 2025 Korea Communication Award in its inaugural issue. North American Alumni Association International Research Grant A bilateral research grant jointly funded by SNUCM and the North American Alumni Association, catalyzing joint research between SNU Medicine faculty and Korean medical alumni at institutions across North America. Co-PI applications are accepted from both sides. WHY THIS MATTERS NOW The case for international medical collaboration has never been more urgent. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed with devastating clarity what happens when health systems operate in isolation — when surveillance data is siloed, when vaccine manufacturing capacity is concentrated, when the global South is left behind in research and distribution. The answer to fragility is not retreat but deeper connection. SNU Medicine enters this moment from a position of genuine strength. The Nature Index ranks it first in Korea and first in Asia in Life Sciences and Cancer Research. QS ranks it 28th globally in medicine. Its faculty and affiliated hospitals generate thousands of SCI-level papers annually and run more than 870 major clinical trials at any given time. This is a research engine with something to offer the world — and a demonstrated willingness to offer it. AN INVITATION “Connected Across Continents” will be a recurring feature in every issue of INSIDE SNU Medicine. We will profile partner institutions and the researchers who work across them. We will report on global health initiatives in the field — from the operating theatres of Bishkek to the neonatal wards of Kathmandu. We will amplify the voices of international students who come to Seoul and SNU alumni who carry the college’s values to every corner of the world. The network exists. Now it has a story to tell. SNU Medicine currently maintains academic exchange agreements with 115+ institutions across 35 countries. For information on visiting student programs, research partnerships, or MOU inquiries, contact the Office of International Affairs at medicine.snu.ac.kr/en or visit electives.snu.ac.kr. Email: snumedicinews@snu.ac.kr

다음	Interview with Shreeya Wasunkar, PhD candidate	hi20260615	2026-06-20

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