Gyeongbuk Province Officer Lim Min-a, Title of 'No.1 Epidemiologist' in Disease Control Agency's Specialized Course

Among 7 National Epidemiologists, First Completion of Disease Control Agency Specialized Course

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Lim Mina, an officer in the Infectious Disease Management Division of Gyeongbuk Province, became the first epidemiologist in Gyeongbuk by being the only person nationwide to complete the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's (KDCA) specialized epidemiological investigation course.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 3rd, Officer Lim completed the epidemiologist training course held by the KDCA on December 18th and became the seventh epidemiologist in South Korea.

The completion ceremony was held exclusively for Officer Lim, with KDCA Commissioner Jung Eun-kyung in attendance. This highlights the stringent qualification requirements for the epidemiologist title.

Epidemiologists, who are experts in establishing quarantine measures against infectious disease outbreaks and spread, must complete a two-year field-centered job training program according to the KDCA's "Regulations on Epidemiologist Training," and submit at least two infectious disease surveillance analysis reports and two outbreak epidemiological investigation reports.

Officer Lim Mina obtained her nursing license in 2003, worked in the Infection Control Department at Gimcheon Medical Center in 2012, and gained field experience responding to infectious diseases by working in the MERS isolation ward in 2015.

After being appointed as a Grade 6 general term employee of Gyeongbuk Province in 2017, she has been performing epidemiologist duties in response to the COVID-19 novel infectious disease since January last year.

Kim Jin-hyun, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, "At a time when we must prepare for future diseases due to the emergence of new infectious diseases and shortened infectious disease cycles, we will expand the number of professional epidemiologists, starting with the appointment of Gyeongbuk's first epidemiologist."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.