Letter from Publisher
This March marks five years since the World Korean Medical Journal’s (WKMJ) first publication back in 2014. Over the span of 18 issues, the magazine has become a platform for Korean healthcare professionals across the globe, forming solidarity that transcends continental borders. Furthermore, the magazine has done more than simply connect Korean practitioners. By featuring physicians and industry executives who’ve made remarkable advancements in the field, WKMJ has played a supporting role in Korea’s growing visibility as a global player in healthcare.
While WKMJ has focused on the growth and competitive nature of Korea as a medical hub, we have witnessed East Asia emerge as the new healthcare block in the globe, just as the rest of the world has too. We understand the collective importance of countries in the East Asian region, namely within the healthcare arena, and have decided to reflect this huge wave of change with our publication.
With that said, I write to you all today to announce an important decision on the future of WKMJ. Moving forward, the World Korean Medical Journal will proceed as the World Asian Medical Journal (WAMJ), where we will expand our focus to our neighboring nations. I will present three major reasons.
First, it is rare that accomplishments within any field is credited to a single mind or group. In an age of globalization, many of the accomplishments made in healthcare field today are by collective participation of physicians, industry leaders, and other healthcare professionals who come from more than one culture. Contributions made by Asians in the global forefront of healthcare is one thing we look forward to featuring with the launch of WAMJ.
Second, East Asia is projected to become the epicenter of global healthcare, and we want to provide live coverage of the area’s predicted growth in industry size and importance. Major advancements in the medical field are being made by East Asians as we speak, and it would be a disservice to not report on these remarkable accomplishments.
Lastly, the world is beginning to not only acknowledge, but incorporate traditional health values originating from East Asian culture. The personalized, preventative, precise, and patient-centered care originating from Eastern philosophy is increasingly becoming adopted into Western healthcare, with evidence-based science serving as the vehicle to its global recognition and application.
In preparation for WAMJ’s launch, we have composed a new editorial board, whom include eminent physicians, industry executives, and other well-respected healthcare professionals to fulfill our mission.
I end this letter with sincere hopes that our readers are as excited as we are on this next chapter.
DoHyun Cho, PhD
Publisher
President & CEO of W Medical Strategy Group
Chairman of New York Health Forum
Milestones
March 2014
Launch of WKMJ
The formerly World Korean Medical Journal (WKMJ) was first launched in March 2014 by W Medical Strategy Group (WMSG). The founding principle behind the magazine was to create a platform and interactive community for all healthcare professionals of Korean heritage. Content included the cover story, an entrepreneur interview segment, special reports on the biomedical industry, and current events in healthcare. The inaugural issue was distributed to more than 38,000 physicians and organizations all over the globe.
April 2014
Launch Ceremony
A launch ceremony for WKMJ was held at the Seoul Club in Seoul, Korea. 30 multi-professional attendees convened to celebrate the publication's inaugural issue. They included 5 congressmen, including Chairman of the Health and Welfare committee, Je-se Oh, and Chairman of the International Affairs Committee, Dr. Hong Joon Ahn. 10 industry executives, including President of Hanmi Pharma, Dr. G.S. Lee, President of Green Cross, Dr. Rhee, as well as Chief-Executive-Officers from DongA, Ahngook, and other pharmaceutical companies. 20 well-known physicians from leading hospitals, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University. 5 reporters from major media platforms. Editorial Board members were announced. Chul S. Hyun, MD, Ph.D. was appointed as the Publisher and David Y. Ko, MD as the Editor-in-Chief.
August 2015
Newly Appointed Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
David Y. Ko, MD appointed as Publisher.
DoHyun Cho, PhD and founder of WKMJ appointed as Editor-in-Chief.
May 2019
Reframing to WAMJ
After the successful run of 18 WKMJ issues, the World Asian Medical Journal (WAMJ) launches with the reformed goal of expanding content coverage to the accomplishments made by physicians and industry executives of all East Asian backgrounds, and not just those of Korean descent. Advancements made in the healthcare arena are increasingly being led by Asia, and the medical magazine recognizes the trend as a result of the collaborative dynamic amongst different East Asian professionals.
May 2019
New Appointments to the WAMJ Editorial Board
Under WAMJ, DoHyun Cho, Ph.D. was appointed as Publisher of WAMJ and Joseph P. McMenamin as Editor-in-Chief. With the publication's new framework, the Editorial Board now includes eminent leaders from medicine, law, health organizations, and the BioPharma industry.
Readership
Our quarterly journals are distributed to approximately 38,000+ readers worldwide
21,000+ readers are medical doctors and healthcare service practitioners who practice in 15 countries, including the U.S., making up 55% of our readership
17,000+ are hospital, pharmaceutical, and other industry executives around the world, making up 35% of our readership