Young-Woo KIM KoreaDirector of Research InstituteNational Cancer Center

Dr. Young-Woo Kim is a director of the National Cancer Center Institute, in Korea. For more than 25 years, he has been a surgeon, researcher, and professor in the Gastric cancer field. Dr. Kim's journey began at Seoul National University School of Medicine, where he earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Surgery. He honed his skills during his residency at Seoul National University Hospital and completed a fellowship in the Department of General Surgery. His dedication to service led him to a three-year stint as a flight surgeon in the ROK Air Force. In 1997, Dr. Kim embarked on his faculty career at Ewha Womans University. Since September 2002, he has been a key member of the Department of Gastric Cancer at the National Cancer Center Korea, a leading cancer hospital in the country. His leadership roles within the National Cancer Center include Head of the Center for Gastric Cancer, Chief of the Gastric Branch at the Research Institute, Chief of Clinical and Translation Research Division, and Head of the Center for Cancer Detection and Prevention. He is now a professor at the Department of Cancer Control and Population Health, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy. His work has focused on innovative surgical techniques, translational research, telemedicine, and medical device development. Dr. Kim has performed over 5,000 gastrectomy procedures and authored 357 original articles, including one in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA). He has also been serving as subject editor(GI) of Surgical Endoscopy since 2022. As a former president of SMIT (2018) he announced 'Seoul Declaration: A Manifesto for Ethical Medical Technology' with SMIT participants. He is currently serving as president of The Korean Society of Endo-Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgery (KSERS), a board member of the Korean Cancer Society, and a member of the IARC(International Agency for Research on Cancer affiliated with WHO) Scientific Council. Recently, as the director of the National Cancer Center Research Institute and chairman of the National Cancer Control Planning Board, he has taken the initiative in planning a national research project to revitalize cancer research in Korea and is participating in establishing a national health and medical technology promotion plan. In addition, he is trying to establish a cooperative relationship to promote joint research on cancer globally.