POSTECH held an official ceremony on May 19 to nurture future medical scientists (MD-PhDs). At the ceremony, President Moo Hwan Kim said, “The rapid entry into an ultra-aged society and the challenge of new viruses lies ahead of human society. POSTECH will contribute to the development of Korea and mankind by fostering MD-PhDs who will contribute significantly to the health of humanity via innovative medical education.” The ceremony discussed the following advantages and plans for the POSTECH Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering (GSMSE).
POSTECH is a world-class Sci-
ence and Engineering Research University, with about 35% of its professors studying in the bio-healthcare field. It ranked first for having the top 10% of dissertations in medical science and health science in South Korea. Moreover, the profit POSTECH gained from technology transfer in the bio-medical sector has reached 11.8 billion KRW over the past five years. The infrastructure such as the Bio Open Innovation Center (BOIC), which is essential for the commercialization of research technology, also became a great advantage in the establishment of the GSMSE. The POSTECH GSMSE, established by these justifications and differentiations, will strive to foster MD-PhDs who innovate the medical science field via science and technology. POSTECH plans to construct industrial clusters focused on bio and healthcare which will improve the local medical infrastructure. Furthermore, through the GSMSE, POSTECH aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s bio industry. The GSMSE will receive medical license holders and graduates possessing Bachelor’s/Master’s degrees in Science and Engineering from the 2023 Spring Semester. The graduates of the GSMSE may work in research-driven hospitals, bio-healthcare institutes, or start their own venture start-ups.
The POSTECH GSMSE will focus its research on three major fields of medicine. The Predictive Medicine field analyses and diagnoses personalized biological cycles and aims to secure competitiveness in the development of advanced customized medical devices, smart medical devices, and high-tech medical image diagnosis technology. The Pharmacogenomics field focuses on medicine development by using POSTECH’s 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator and the cryogenic electron microscope. It aims to develop plant-based green vaccines and personalized medicine. The Progenerative Medicine area develops biomimicry technology based on 3D bio-printing technology. It will also focus on the development of artificial organs and stem cell regeneration treatments.
As Yoon Seok-yeol, president of South Korea included the establishment of POSTECH GSMSE in the key policy goals of his administration, and with the need for a base medical university fostering MD-PhDs for bio-medicine research fields, POSTECH plans to establish an Engineering Based Medical School and a Smart Hospital to follow the GSMSE.