ISSUE 4

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Welcome to the fourth issue of WKMJ!

In my role as the publisher of World Korean Medical Journal, I am blessed with numerous opportunities to meet and interact with some incredible people. Dr. Yung Man Lee of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who is featured in this issue, is a good example. I first met Dr. Lee on Feb 8, 2014 when I visited Sao Paulo to start the World Korean Medical Organization (WKMO)’s first regional forum. In this particular forum, Korean physicians from Korea, Europe, the United States, and South America gathered to discuss ethnic disparity of diseases in Latin America.

Dr. Yung Man Lee was one of the first Korean physicians to immigrate to Brazil. He came to Sao Paulo in 1966 and has practiced medicine since. His is a true family of physicians, totaling thirty physicians among his children and grandchildren, including his son Dr. Andre Lee, a professor of Surgery at Sao Paulo University Medical School, who also serves as a Board member in WKMO. Dr. Yung Man Lee’s works as an immigrant physician and a community leader are inspiring, and they serve as legacies for our young generation.

WKMJ also introduces its new ‘Medical Institute’ section in this issue, where we featured the City of Hope (COH) National Medical Center. COH has a new model of Cancer Center, focused on innovative strategies to treat and prevent cancer. With sixteen Korean physicians as staff in COH, the hospital also aims to provide culturally competent care tailored to specifically Korean patients.

Thanks for reading. I wish you and your family Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD

Publisher

President of WKMO

Weill Cornell Medical School

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dear Colleagues,

The Korean immigration to all corners of the world was a bold undertaking especially in the last half century. Korean Physicians immigrated elsewhere to seek new opportunities as well as opportunities not available in Korea at that time.

The early Korean physician immigrants in many countries had to navigate arduous and lengthy paths often having to retrain with a second residency to practice in the new countries. The early physician pioneers would help fellow physicians and this has happened in many countries. After a critical mass, local Korean physicians organized and met. As there are Korean heritage physician groups throughout the world, WKMO is trying to connect on global network.

The early Korean Physician pioneers like Dr. Yung Man Lee in Brazil is a success story featured in this issue. The regional WKMO forum in Brazil, largest country in South America, early this year was an opportunity to meet Dr. Lee and his son who gave us tour of Sao Palo University Hospital. The number of Korean medical students in Brazil is growing and some were able to attend the World Korean Medical Student Association (WKMSA) meeting in conjunction with the WKMO meeting in New York.

A new feature with this issue is a focus on a medical institution. City of Hope Hopsital in Duarte California right outside of LA is a comprehensive cancer center with a long history and a bright future. City of Hope has a number of Korean American physicians and forged a working relationship with MOU with Seoul National University thru interactions at the WKMO meetings. City of Hope recently recruited Dr. Larry Kwak from MD Anderson who is doing impressive cancer research.

One of the major holidays in the U.S. is the Thanksgiving Holiday which originated from the early immigrants to the America surviving and making it. The spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday is especially pertinent to the Korean physicians that went abroad. We all should give thanks, and move forward in achieving goals. Happy Holidays and look forward to great 2015.

David Y. Ko, MD

Editor in Chief

Board Director of WKMO

Keck School of Medicine of USC