Thomas Frey's 'Post-Corona' Outlook at KAIST

GSI-IF2020 Key Speakers (from left) Victor Jau, President of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine; Thomas Frey, Director of the Da Vinci Institute; George MacDonald Church, Professor at Harvard Medical School; Susan Toshi, Senior Vice President at Illumina; Kwangsoo Kim, Professor at Harvard Medical School

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Junho] World-renowned futurist Thomas Frey will present key issues about the future of humanity in the post-COVID era at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

KAIST's Global Strategy Institute (GSI) will hold a real-time online international forum discussing the future of humanity after the post-COVID era, focusing on innovation strategies in medical and bioengineering. The event will take place on the 9th at 9 a.m. in the Jeong Geun-mo Conference Hall on the 5th floor of the Academic and Cultural Center (E9) at the Daejeon main campus.

On this day, Thomas Frey, director of the Da Vinci Institute in the U.S., will deliver the keynote speech, forecasting how humanity will overcome new infectious diseases like the coronavirus through healthcare technological innovations. Based on an understanding of technology, he will also present a vision of the future humanity and life transformed by the development of bioengineering, its impact on conquering diseases, and extending human life expectancy.

Victor J. Dzau, president of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, will share his experience leading healthcare innovation in the U.S., propose strategies to prepare for a second wave of COVID-19, and suggest medical and bioengineering innovation policies needed in the post-COVID era. George McDonald Church, professor at Harvard Medical School and the first developer of genome sequencing methods, will give a keynote lecture on the advancement and future of gene editing and genome technologies. Susan Tousi, vice president and chief product officer of Illumina, the world's largest genome analysis company, will introduce cases of gene analysis technology development and explore the possibilities of disease prevention and life extension through these technologies.

In the invited speaker session titled "Healthcare Innovation for All: Gene-tailored Life Extension Solutions," speakers include Professor Jin-Hyung Lee of Stanford University’s Departments of Neurology and Bioengineering, Professor Vera Gorbunova of the University of Rochester, Professor Jeong-Ho Lee of KAIST Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, and David Resnik, chair of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Bioethics Committee.

Kim Jeong-ho, director of GSI, stated, "KAIST will take the lead in turning the crisis of COVID-19 into a new opportunity for disease conquest and life extension, serving as a focal point to unite humanity’s will for this purpose."

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