UNIST and Ulsan Medical School are joining hands to foster medical scientists who will lead technological innovation from an engineering perspective, raising expectations that this will contribute to future innovation in the medical industry and the strengthening of national competitiveness.

On the 11th, UNIST and Ulsan University signed an MOU for 'academic exchange between Ulsan University and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology to foster medical scientists' at the conference room on the 3rd floor of the main building of Ulsan University, and agreed to jointly operate the 'UNIST-Ulsan Medical School HST Program,' a program to foster medical scientists, starting in September 2023.

Health Sciences and Technology (HST) is an interdisciplinary talent development program operated by MIT and Harvard Medical School. Its goal is to provide opportunities to learn from both fields by having the engineering and medical schools exchange lectures so that science and technology can be used to improve human health (prevention, diagnosis, and treatment).

The 'UNIST-Ulsan Medical School HST Program' is also designed similarly to the MIT-Harvard Medical School HST in that it involves educational cooperation between the College of Engineering and the College of Medicine. A unique feature is that courses are offered starting from the undergraduate level. It is expected that a 'full-cycle medical science education program' encompassing the pre-medical, medical, and graduate levels of medical school will be possible, fostering medical scientists more effectively than existing domestic programs. It is a 'Korean-style HST program' developed to suit our specific circumstances.

Kim Seung-hoo, Dean of Ulsan Medical School, said, “The process of learning through a medical science program starting from the undergraduate pre-medical course is a model being attempted for the first time in Korea,” adding, “We aim to provide a stepping stone for students to grow into medical scientists according to their aptitudes by engaging in a program to train medical scientists starting from their first year of pre-med.”

A new 'short-term master's program' will also be established to enable Ulsan Medical School students who have taken this program to become medical scientists. This opens a fast path for medical students who developed an interest in science and engineering during their undergraduate studies to enter the field of medical science. By providing customized educational curricula for each target group—ranging from bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students to licensed physicians—it is possible to effectively cultivate medical scientists.

UNIST students gain experience to become 'practical medical scientists' through field training utilizing hospital infrastructure. Such experience becomes a valuable asset in the bio-medical field, where basic science research and commercialization take place simultaneously.

Shim Jae-young, Dean of the College of Information and Bio-Convergence at UNIST, said, “The UNIST-Ulsan Medical School HST program is an ‘engineering-based medical science institute’ where medical education and science and engineering education are organically combined,” and expressed his expectations, stating, “UNIST students who dream of becoming scientists or engineers will gain experience in the medical field and conduct research and technology development that are actually needed in the cutting-edge bio and medical fields.”

Ulsan University President Oh Yeon-cheon stated, “This is a good example of two local universities joining forces to develop and promote a new educational model,” adding, “I hope the cooperation between Ulsan Medical School and UNIST will serve as an opportunity to improve the medical infrastructure in the Ulsan region.”

UNIST President Lee Yong-hoon stated, “Starting with cooperation with Ulsan Medical School, the ‘UNIST Institute of Medical Science’ program has been made even more substantial,” adding, “We will foster ‘medical scientists’ who will lead the biomedical field, which is considered a promising future industry, and contribute to fostering the medical industry centered on the southeastern region.”