Tag: South Korea

The College of Medicine at Inha University is accelerating ‘Community-Based Medical Education,’ which expands the educational scope beyond the confines of classrooms and university hospitals into the community.

The College of Medicine is conducting specialized training for 3-week clinical clerkships this month and in coming June at a hospital ship (Geongang Ongjin-ho) and Baekryeong Hospital for 4th-year medical students.

From March 4 to 6, students boarded the Ongjin-gun hospital ship to conduct their first clinical clerkship under the guidance of public health doctors and personnel, and a second clinical clerkship is also scheduled for June. Additionally, they are conducting a clinical clerkship at Baekryeong Hospital on Baekryeong Island for nine days from March 9 to 17.

Students will experience the specificity and importance of public healthcare through regional status lectures and seminars, participation in island tour medical treatments, and involvement in Doctor-Heli patient evacuations.

The College of Medicine has been preparing community-based medical education since 2022 to cultivate medical personnel suited for the local community. Since last year, as the Ministry of Education implemented the ‘Regional Innovation Strategy and Education (RISE)’ project, which considers the regional characteristics and strengths/specializations of local universities in 17 cities and provinces nationwide, this program was adopted as specialized education, leading the innovation of medical education.

To this end, the College of Medicine signed agreements with Ongjin-gun, Baekryeong Hospital, and Incheon Medical Center, and plans to sign agreements with a total of 100 community public and private medical institutions within the year.

Seo Han Yong, a 4th-year medical student who participated in the Baekryeong Hospital clinical clerkship, said, “It taught me much more than university hospital training and made me properly realize the reality of community patients we must look after,” and added, “It was a precious opportunity to think about what to aim for through the dedication shown by our senior doctors on the island.”

The College of Medicine plans to establish a practical community-centered medical education system. In particular, project-based classes will be conducted to analyze the epidemiology of major diseases among residents of specific regions and propose health policies or health promotion programs suitable for those regions. Furthermore, the college plans to significantly expand education on social responsibility to protect the health of the community by strengthening the ability to analyze and solve regional health problems and learning deeply about the roles and responsibilities of public hospitals.

Inha University Hospital, an affiliated university hospital under the university’s medical center, is also positioning itself as a community-based medical institution that meets the specificities of the Incheon region, which is expected to serve as a turning point for regional medical development as a hospital-academia cooperation model.

Inha University Hospital has continued medical support for island areas for 28 years, starting with Baekryeong Island in 1998. It has evolved from simple medical volunteering in the early days to medical service agreements for Ongjin-gun residents, installation of remote consultation systems, and expansion of prevention-oriented public health, gradually developing into a systematic and effective medical system. Notably, through the ‘1 Island 1 Primary Care Hospital’ project, it has been designated in charge of Daecheong-myeon and Baekryeong-myeon, and has achieved results such as specialists participating in real-time intensive care through the establishment of a smart remote video consultation system with Baekryeong Hospital.

Lee Taek, President of Inha University Medical Center, stated, “We plan to further expand our role as a responsible medical and educational institution so that customized talent can be cultivated through regional specialized education from the educational stage to work for the region.”

▲Director Lee Du Ik of Baekryeong Hospital providing emergency room patient education to 4th-year medical students from Inha University College of Medicine.

▲The Dean of the College of Medicine at Inha University, students, and medical staff of Baekryeong Hospital taking a commemorative photo.

Original Article

▲ (From left) Min Kyung-Hoon, first author and integrated master’s/doctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Professor Shim Sang-Eun(Advisor) of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Professor Shim Sang-Eun’s research team in the Department of Chemical Engineering recently developed a next-generation catalyst technology capable of capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into useful compounds simultaneously.

 

This technology is a new method of directly growing Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOF) inside silica-based aerogels.

 

Professor Shim’s research team designed the aerogel—which has a lightweight and highly porous structure—to act as a confined reaction space, ensuring the catalytic material forms uniformly inside. Through this, they reduced particle aggregation, a common issue in conventional catalysts, and enabled more effective utilization of the active sites required for the reaction.

 

In particular, they developed a new aerogel support by combining silicon-based polymers with hydrophilic polymers and succeeded in evenly dispersing MOF, which is effective for carbon dioxide adsorption and conversion reactions, inside. This structure possesses both a high surface area and a rigid framework, offering the advantage of maintaining its shape even under demanding synthesis conditions.

 

Additionally, they further enhanced reaction efficiency by introducing an ionic liquid that serves to effectively capture carbon dioxide on the catalyst surface. As a result, it showed excellent carbon dioxide adsorption performance even at room temperature, and in catalytic reaction experiments, achieved near-perfect reaction efficiency with only a very small amount of catalyst.

 

This catalyst showed almost no performance degradation even after more than 10 repeated uses and operated stably even in environments where moisture was present. It is evaluated that the hydrophobic characteristics of the siloxane-based structure increased the possibility of application to actual industrial processes. Min Kyung-Hoon, an integrated master’s/doctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Fusion, participated as the first author of this study.

 

Professor Shim Sang-Eun said, “By employing a strategy of growing the catalyst directly inside the aerogel, we effectively overcame the limitations of existing metal-organic framework catalysts,” adding, “This technology will serve as a practical alternative that contributes to reducing carbon dioxide and utilizing it as a resource.”

▲Schematic diagram of the research on improving carbon dioxide conversion performance through catalyst growth inside aerogel.

Original Article

Meanwhile, the results of this study were published in the international academic journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials (Impact factor: 21.8).

Inha University recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IGLOO Corporation, an AI-based security solutions company, to cultivate specialized talent in AI-based security and enhance industry–academia cooperation.

Under this agreement, Inha University and IGLOO Corporation will collaborate on ▲ developing customized curricula and educational content to nurture outstanding AI talent ▲ jointly identifying and conducting industry–academia R&D projects in the field of AI-based security ▲ strengthening students’ practical competencies through company-linked internship programs ▲ discovering outstanding talent in AI-based security and supporting their employment pathways.

Inha University expects this MOU to serve as a meaningful opportunity to foster specialized professionals through educational and research collaboration in the AI-based security field, while further reinforcing the foundation for industry-linked education and research cooperation.

Kim Eun-jung, Vice President of IGLOO Corporation, stated, “As AI technologies continue to advance, cultivating specialized talent in the security sector is becoming increasingly important. Through this agreement, we will establish a comprehensive talent development system that integrates academia, practice, and research, and continue to support the discovery and growth of professionals who will lead the AI-based security industry.”

Baek Sung-hyun, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said, “We will build a cooperative model in which industry, education, and research are organically connected in the field of AI-based security. Through close industry–academia collaboration, we will actively support our students in developing into AI security professionals equipped with strong, field-oriented practical capabilities.”

▲ Officials from the University and IGLOO Corporation pose for a commemorative photo at the MOU signing ceremony for fostering AI-based security talent and strengthening industry–academia cooperation.

Original Article Link