Kim Yunha, Chonnam National University Hospital Professor, Wins 4th Yun Handeok Award

312 High-Risk Cesarean Sections Performed Last Year
Contributed to the Nationwide Establishment of Integrated Mother and Newborn Treatment Centers

Yunha Kim, Professor at Jeonnam National University Hospital.

Chonnam National University Hospital announced on the 5th that Professor Kim Yunha from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has received the 4th 'Yunhandeok Award'.

On the 4th, the Yunhandeok Memorial Foundation (Chairman Seo Haehyun, Director of Seogwang Hospital; President Heo Tak, Professor at Chonnam National University Medical School) held the 6th memorial ceremony for Yun Han-deok, Director of the Central Emergency Medical Center at the National Medical Center, at the Hwasun Campus of Chonnam National University Medical School, and presented Professor Kim with the 'Yunhandeok Award'.

The 'Yunhandeok Award' was established to honor Director Yun Han-deok, who died of overwork in February 2019 while staying at the Central Emergency Medical Center during the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent a gap in emergency medical services.

Professor Kim has been devoted to the field of essential obstetric care, especially childbirth, for over 40 years, working tirelessly day and night. In particular, during last year's medical conflict, when many residents left, she performed 312 surgeries at Chonnam National University Hospital, including more than 283 high-risk cesarean sections, accounting for over 60% of all such surgeries at the hospital.

Professor Kim is regarded as the 'last bastion' for high-risk pregnant women in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, providing care for cases such as preterm labor, placenta previa, hypertension during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and difficult cesarean sections. In 2013, while serving as the Academic Chair of the Korean Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine, she recognized the need for integrated treatment for high-risk mothers and newborns, planned an integrated treatment center, persuaded the government, and made a significant contribution to the nationwide establishment of high-risk mother and newborn integrated treatment centers.

Since 2017, she has served as the Director of the High-Risk Mother and Newborn Integrated Treatment Center at Chonnam National University Hospital and currently serves as the President of the National Council of High-Risk Mother and Newborn Integrated Treatment Centers. After starting as a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Chonnam National University Hospital in 1986 and being appointed as a professor in 1995, Professor Kim has worked for the academic advancement of treatment for high-risk mothers and fetuses. From 2018 to 2020, she served as the President of the Korean Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine and chaired the High-Risk Pregnancy Committee of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she developed the COVID-19 treatment protocol for pregnant women in Korea.

Seo Haehyun, President of the Yunhandeok Memorial Foundation, said, "It is an honor to present this award, which respects the achievements of Yun Han-deok, a pioneer in Korean emergency medicine, to Professor Kim Yunha, who has devoted herself to treating high-risk mothers in the community. I pay tribute to Professor Kim's spirit of sacrifice, service, and responsibility."

Professor Kim said, "As an obstetrician who must care for both the mother and fetus, I will always remember the noble achievements of Director Yun Han-deok, who dedicated himself to emergency medicine," and added, "I will continue to do my best with passion and dedication so that all mothers and newborns can live in a world full of smiles and happiness."

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