image: Panorama of Korea University College of Medicine
Credit: KU Medicine
Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) has been selected as one of the awardee institutions for the 2025 Interdisciplinary Physician-Scientist Training Program, supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI). In this initiative, KUCM formed a consortium with the Hanyang College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, and Yeungnam University College of Medicine, receiving KRW 3 billion or approximately USD 2.3 million in funding over the next three years.
The program provides hospital residents with opportunities to conduct basic research alongside their clinical training, supporting them in their transition toward physician-scientists (M.D.-Ph.D.) after completion of residency. It also establishes infrastructure for sustainable training through resident recruitment, curriculum development, and establishing research networks.
KUCM also leverages its Physician-Scientist Training Initiative to support both preparatory undergraduate programs and advanced stages of full-time doctoral and postdoctoral programs. The institution plans to expand research infrastructure for residents through its research-focused hospitals: Korea University’s Anam, Guro, and Ansan Hospitals.
Dr. Pyun Sung-Bom, Dean of Korea University College of Medicine, remarked, “This selection reaffirms the position of KUCM as a top-tier research-oriented medical school in South Korea. We will maximize synergy between basic and clinical medicine to advance future healthcare.”
Dr. Roh Jee-Hoon, who is the director of the program as well as the professor of Department of Physiology at KUCM and Neurologist of Korea University Anam Hospital, stated, “Building on past achievements, we will strengthen domestic and international research networks in the 2025 Interdisciplinary Physician-Scientist Training Program to create a sustainable ecosystem for physician-scientists to thrive as independent researchers.”
KUCM also collaborates with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine to offer global leadership programs. Through a partnership with Yale School of Medicine, KUCM provides opportunities to pursue the Investigative Medicine Program and the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, which are both integrated Master's and Ph.D. tracks for physician-scientists.