Professors Iwonjae and Jaewon Lee Receive Asan Medical Award

Young Medical Scientists: Ju Young-seok and Lee Yong-ho
Only Awardees and Their Spouses Attended Due to COVID-19

Award winners from each category attending the 13th Asan Medical Awards ceremony held on the 19th are posing for a commemorative photo. From the left: Joo Young-seok, Professor at the Graduate School of Medical Science, KAIST, Young Medical Scientist category; Lee Won-jae, Professor of Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Basic Medical Science category; Chung Mong-joon, Chairman of the Asan Foundation; Lee Jae-won, Professor at Ulsan University College of Medicine, Clinical Medicine category; and Lee Hyun-chul, father of Lee Yong-ho, Professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine, currently studying abroad.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Asan Social Welfare Foundation held the 13th Asan Medical Awards ceremony on the 19th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. Professor Lee Won-jae of Seoul National University was selected as the recipient in the basic medical science category, and Professor Lee Jae-won of Ulsan University College of Medicine was selected in the clinical medical science category, each receiving a prize of 300 million KRW. Professor Ju Young-seok of KAIST Graduate School of Medical Science and Professor Lee Yong-ho of Yonsei University College of Medicine were selected as recipients in the young medical scientist category, each receiving 50 million KRW.

Professor Lee Won-jae has been conducting research on the gut microbiome ecosystem since the early 2000s, when the field of gut microorganisms was still unfamiliar, proposing possibilities for disease treatment and growth potential in children with growth retardation caused by malnutrition. Professor Lee Jae-won was recognized for developing a minimally invasive cardiac surgery method that reduces wound size and accelerates recovery, and for introducing the first fully robotic cardiac surgery in Korea, improving treatments for heart diseases.

Professor Ju Young-seok elucidated the structure and mechanisms of cancer genome occurrence, while Professor Lee Yong-ho identified new risk factors related to sarcopenia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, providing evidence for treatment and prevention. The Asan Medical Award was established in 2007 to discover and encourage domestic and international medical scientists who have achieved accomplishments in basic and clinical medical fields. This year’s ceremony was limited to the awardees and their spouses due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

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