Sangjung Kim of Seoul National University College of Medicine Named Inaugural Recipient of Hyangseol Medical Award

Unveiling the Mechanism of Pain Processing
Through Cerebellar Neuron-Glial Circuits

Soonchunhyang University Medical Center announced on the 21st that it has selected Sangjung Kim, Professor in the Department of Physiology at Seoul National University College of Medicine, as the inaugural recipient of the Hyangseol Medical Award, which will be presented for the first time this year. For the Hyangseol Academic Research Grant, Dongwon Kwak, Professor in the Department of Neurology at Konkuk University Medical Center, and Seonghye Gong, Professor in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, were selected. The Hyangseol Young Investigator Award will be given to Hyemin Jang, Professor in the Department of Neurology at Asan Medical Center.

Sangjung Kim, Professor, Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine

The Hyangseol Medical Award was established by the Hyangseol Seokjo Foundation to honor the medical practice and educational philosophy of the late Dr. Seokjo Seo, founder of Soonchunhyang University Hospital, and to discover and recognize outstanding researchers in the field of medical research.

Professor Sangjung Kim, recipient of the Hyangseol Medical Award, will receive a prize of 100 million won. Professors Dongwon Kwak and Seonghye Gong, recipients of the Hyangseol Academic Research Grant, will each receive 10 million won, and Professor Hyemin Jang, recipient of the Hyangseol Young Investigator Award, will receive 5 million won.

Professor Kim published creative research findings in January in Nature Neuroscience, connecting the fields of cerebellar memory and chronic pain through her unique research experience. This study demonstrated that the cerebellum, previously known for its role in motor function, can also regulate pain experiences, and suggested that pathological chronic pain can be treated through a newly identified molecular mechanism involving cerebellar astrocytes.

The award ceremony will be held on November 9 at the Hyangseol Medical Research Symposium at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital.

Seo Kyoil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Dong-eun Academy Foundation, stated, "Starting this year, we have renamed the existing Soonchunhyang Medical Research Symposium to the Hyangseol Medical Research Symposium and expanded it into a nationwide event. We expect that the Hyangseol Medical Award will broaden the horizons of medical research in Korea and become a meaningful prize that encourages outstanding researchers."

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