Professor Park Kwi-won Awarded the 4th Bayer Schering Clinical Medicine Award
Professor Park Kwi-won Awarded the 4th Bayer Schering Clinical Medicine Award
- Exploring Pediatric Surgery and Establishing the Ideal Model of Woman Doctors in Korea
- Performing More than 100 Extremely Challenging Operations of Congenital Malformations per month
Professor Park Kwi-won (Surgical Department at Seoul National University Hospital) was given the 4th Bayer Schering Clinical Medicine Award at Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom at 6:00 pm on March 18.
Bayer Schering Clinical Medicine Award designated by Korean Academy of Medical Sciences and Bayer Schering Pharma Korea selects one medical practitioner who left an excellent achievement in the clinical medicine field, awarding a prize and 30 million-won research funds.
Candidates eligible for the award should be recognized for developing and spreading creative methods and technologies in preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases in clinical medicine. The Steering Committee has been screened and selected the candidates without any information or notice to candidates.
Professor Park Kwi-won contributed to establishing the foundation of pediatric surgery from the 1970s when it was not much known to Korea. Throughout 1981, Professor Park conducted 1,091 pediatric surgeries annually, leading to establishing the department of pediatric surgery in university hospitals nationwide. In 1985, the Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons (KAPS) was established, and Professor Park took the presidency from 2003 to 2004.
In particular, Professor Park performs more than 100 congenital malformation surgeries per month taking a large portion in the KAPS, and her numerous experiences and excellent skills greatly contributed to enhancing survival of patients with congenital malformations and their quality of life in Korea .
She was highly acclaimed as Professor Park explored the field of surgical science regarded as the proprietary domain of the men as a woman, and paved the way for junior woman doctors in advancing into the field of surgical science.
In 1980, as the first woman surgical professor at Seoul National University Hospital, she opened a new chapter for treating patients with congenital malformations for the past 30 years. Now, she is a success model for would-be woman doctors taking up 30 percent. Currently, Professor Park is the president of the Korean Medical Women’s Association starting from 2006.
Professor Park said at the award ceremony, “I was awarded this honorable prize thanks to my teachers, seniors and juniors in surgical medicine who cared for patients with sacrifice and commitment for the past 30 years,” adding, “I would like to pave the way for the currently challenged surgical department to make another leap forward with my constant effort and care for the development of surgical science.”
The ceremony was attended by 250 people including President Kim Kun-sang of Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, President Choo Su-ho of Korean Medical Association, Mr. Manuel Flores, CEO of Bayer Schering Pharma Korea, Dr.Norbert Baas German Ambassador to Korea and others from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. 
*Photo: Pediatric Surgical Dept. Professor Park Kwi-won (third from the left) is having a photo session at the award ceremony.