FROM THE PUBLISHER
WKMJ WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR ALL HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO EXPLORE, INTERACT, AND ESTABLISH A WHOLESOME NETWORKING.
Two months ago we launched the first issue of WKMJ, and it was met with positive emails and phone calls about the ways the WKMJ will nurture WKMO and Korean American medical community. Needless to say, our goal is to connect with one another, and provide a forum for readers to develop an integrative perspective in healthcare.
In this issue, we feature Dr. Jong-Wook Lee, a world leader in public health who served as a director general of World Health Organization from 2003-2006. He was a man of conviction and passion, and an inspiration to the global community. His achievements in the areas of tuberculosis and vaccine preventable diseases of children in needed communities are noteworthy. His insights into how we can better serve the communities as physicians, and his visions on global health will always remain as a living legacy inspiring and motivating the young generation.
Our aim is to fill every issue with a variety of information from technology, pharmaceuticals, and health care policy. In our Entrepreneur Interview, we meet Dr. Phillip Frost of OPKO Health Inc. A physician, a CEO, and a leader in healthcare arena, Dr. Frost advises young physicians to be entrepreneurial and to embrace change as new business models are being developed to treat the aging population. We also have a new section called where the readers are regularly updated on the upcoming conferences and symposia on medicine, healthcare and bio-health industry.
WKMJ will continue to provide a platform for all healthcare professionals to explore, interact, and establish a wholesome networking. In the face of healthcare reform, industry trends are challenging physicians to go beyond the usual boundary of medicine, and to apply our expertise into various related and sometimes complicated fields. We need to adjust accordingly in our varying roles. Through this publication, it is my hope that we can assist in this ever-changing field.
Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD
Publisher
President of WKMO
FROM THE EDITOR
COMPASSION OF KOREAN PEOPLE AS PHYSICIAN; THERE IS VERY LITTLE OUTSIDE PRESENCE BUT THERE ARE SIGNS OF WHO (WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION) AND UN (UNITED NATIONS) ACTIVITIES IN NORTH KOREA
Hope you enjoyed the first issue. There were two quotes that stood out from that issue: First was of Dr. Sammy Lee about the “compassion of Korean people” as physicians. Second was Dr. Ui-Hwa Chung, a neurosurgeon who is now the honorable speaker of the Korea National Assembly, who said reunification of Korea is “the greatest mission of all Koreans around the globe.”
In this issue, we feature Dr. Lee Jong-wook who was the Director General for the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the UN that is concerned with international public health. WHO has the herculean task of improving health and healthcare throughout the world with limited resources. As the top physician at WHO, Dr. Lee did great things particularly focusing on universal access to TB prevention, which is a major issue in North Korea. I made my first visit to North Korea recently and noticed that there is very little outside presence but there were signs of WHO and UN personnel and activities there, so his influence is still felt to this day. He met an untimely passing but accomplished a lot in 3 years as Director General. The UN and WHO can only do so much in each country, but in North Korea there is reason for hope as I was there for a momentous occasion, groundbreaking for a new private medical school called Pyongyang University Medical School (PUMS).
On the July 4th weekend, WKMO is hosting the “The 3rd WHO Annual Convention” focusing on the theme of ‘Cultural Barriers and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare.’ August 7-9 the 40th Anniversary meeting of KAMA will be in Hawaii with special keynote speaker, the President of the AMA, as well as forums on North Korea healthcare including PUMS. Both are great educational and networking opportunities not to be missed.
David Y. Ko, MD
Editor in Chief
Board Director of WKMO
President of KAMA
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