ISSUE 27

FROM THE PUBLISHER

We are thrilled to unveil our latest edition of World Asian Medical Journal, featuring compelling articles on cutting-edge advancements, influential thought leaders, and significant developments reshaping the industry landscape.

As the cover story, we were honored to showcase the exceptional journey of an inspirational Asian American healthcare leader, Dr. Karen Kim, MD, MS. She is currently serving as the Vice Provost for Research at the University of Chicago and has been appointed as the Dean of Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Kim’s remarkable contributions and leadership have left an indelible mark on the field of medicine and contributed to continuous innovation of Gastroenterology.

Being a founder of the Center for Asian Health Equity at the University of Chicago, she eagerly addressed healthcare disparities and challenges which Asian American groups face in daily life. Being appointed as the first and only Korean American woman dean of Penn State College of Medicine, Dr. Kim emphasized that Asian American physicians need to step up to take more of significant positions in the field of medicine.

In this edition, we also featured the BIO International Convention 2023 in the Special Report I where Asia’s prominence in the global healthcare arena has been accentuated. The region’s innovation, research breakthroughs, and collaborative efforts have garnered attention, propelling it to the forefront of the industry.

In the Special Report II, we introduced the ‘CDC Recommendations- U.S. 2023: Screening and Testing for Hepatitis B Virus Infection’, which highlights the significance of proactive measures in curbing the prevalence of this health concern.

Advancements in technology have revolutionized drug discovery, and we present an exclusive reports in Biopharmaceutical Report I and II, introducing biopharmaceutical companies that are harnessing automation to accelerate drug development and bring innovative treatments to patients, and the role of Artificial Intelligence in drug discovery.

Conference Alerts featured invaluable opportunities for networking, learning, and staying ahead in an ever-evolving industry and Latest Healthcare Industry News, we covered the most recent developments, breakthroughs, and announcements of the health industry.

We hope this edition of WAMJ inspires our readers. Wishing all of your insightful reading and a prosperous journey in the world of healthcare and innovation.

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DoHyun Cho, PhD

Publisher

President & CEO of W Medical Strategy Group

Chairman of New York Health Forum

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Welcome to this, the 27th edition of the World Asian Medical Journal. We are happy to present here our interview with Karen E. Kim, MD, the newly-named dean of Penn State College of Medicine at Hershey, Pennsylvania. When she assumes her duties next month, Dr. Kim, a gastroenterologist, will be the first AsianAmerican, and the first woman, to hold this prestigious post.

In her interview, Dr. Kim tells us about her lifelong interest in medicine--beginning at age four(!)--when she decided she wanted to “save the world.” Her decision required self-confidence, as she encountered some nay-sayers along the way, and she herself harbored doubts about her scientific capabilities. Notwithstanding those impediments, she excelled in medical school, graduating at the top of her class. Despite an interest in surgery, Dr. Kim decided on gastroenterology because it lent itself more readily to raising a family than surgery did, yet resembled surgery in that it addressed similar problems and allowed her to work with her hands; she also found that its path less littered with stereotype-derived obstacles.

During her fellowship. Dr. Kim studied epithelial transport, anticipating a career in research. Sadly, however, her mother was diagnosed with hepatitis B-related liver cancer and died from it. That experience led Dr. Kim to the realization that many serious gastroenterological and other diagnoses afflict Asians disproportionately, eventuating, in turn, in an interest that inspired her to found the Center for Asian Health Equity at the University of Chicago, where she has long practiced, taught, and conducted research.

Among the topics our interviewee discusses in this issue are self-propelled endoscopies, AI generative algorithms and predictive models, and the need to train AI with more Asian-inclusive studies. Relatedly, Dr. Kim points out that, to the extent Asians are trial subjects, too often the researchers fail to disaggregate them as Korean, Indian, Japanese, and so forth, lumping them all under the “Asian” category. Dr. Kim observes that relatively few healthcare professionals are bi- or tri-lingual, and although Asian-Americans are well-represented among providers and department chairs, few have become deans or otherwise joined the leadership ranks at academic centers. Phenomena such as these may have contributed to inadequate responses to problems such as delayed recognition of diabetes, and inadequate treatment for disorders ranging from cancers to suicide prevention.

Dr. Kim’s agenda at Hershey is crowded. Among other ambitious goals, she hopes to further our progress in addressing issues such as those she has specifically studied, to enhance Hershey’s prominence in pediatric oncology and other disciplines, and to expand the availability of care in rural parts of Pennsylvania. I am confident you will savor our interview with Dr. Kim as much as I did.

Be sure to check out our other offerings as well, in areas such as Asians’ roles at the 2023 BIO International Convention, CDC’s current hepatitis B screening and testing recommendations, automated and AI-assisted drug discovery, and, of course, all our standard features. Enjoy.

Joseph P. McMenamin, MD, JD, FCLM

Editor in Chief

EVP of W Medical Strategy Group