"Joint Medical and Science Degree Programs to Be Established"... Government Expands Physician-Scientist Training

Ministry of Health and Welfare Holds Workshop for Physician-Scientist Training Program Participants
Two New Initiatives to Launch Next Year... Efforts Underway to Secure Funding and Improve Policies

The government is accelerating its efforts to nurture physician-scientists, including the establishment of joint degree programs between medical schools and graduate schools in science and engineering.

Ministry of Health and Welfare

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute announced this at the '2025 Physician-Scientist NET-WORKSHOP' held at Seoul Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on December 5.

Since 2019, the Ministry has been supporting a full-cycle educational program for the training of physician-scientists, from undergraduate studies through to the completion of a doctoral degree. Through this initiative, 165 full-time doctoral students have received support, and a total of 79 physician-scientists have been produced.

Since 2024, the 'Global Physician-Scientist Training Program' has been in place to provide tailored research support for physician-scientists at each stage of their careers. Through this program, physician-scientists can receive research support for up to eight years after obtaining their doctoral degrees.

Starting next year, two new initiatives will be introduced to further foster physician-scientists. The 'K-MediST Support' program will establish joint degree courses between medical schools and graduate schools in science and engineering, providing joint education. The 'Physician-Scientist Leap Program' will be launched to nurture talent in the biomedical and health sectors. The goal is to build an ecosystem that connects talent, new technologies, and industry in the bio-health sector to cultivate experts in medical science. Opportunities for growth as outstanding researchers will be provided through inviting renowned international scholars in bio-health and offering domestic young physician-scientists training programs at global research institutions. In addition, five outstanding physician-scientists will be selected and awarded each year for 20 years, totaling 100 recipients.

At the event, awards were presented to outstanding researchers participating in the physician-scientist training program, and young physician-scientists shared their experiences. The Minister of Health and Welfare’s Award was presented to doctoral students Lee Yeo-jin (University of Ulsan), Lee Hyun-soo (Yonsei University, Wonju), Jung Dong-young (Pohang University of Science and Technology), Jung Young-rak (Yonsei University), and Cho Ara (Yonsei University) for their excellent research in the full-time doctoral program.

Jung Eun-young, Director General of Health Industry Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Physician-scientists are key talent in the bio-health sector who can solve challenges encountered in clinical settings through research," adding, "We will actively secure budgets and promote various institutional improvements to expand these initiatives."

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