Lee Hyun-seok, the director of Seoul Medical Center, is a physician trained in thoracic surgery at Korea University College of Medicine. His expertise lies in surgeries involving the heart, blood vessels, and lungs. He believes that how medical information is communicated to patients is as important as the medical technology itself.
In 2006, he participated in establishing a medical communication society with researchers from medical, nursing, and humanities fields, later serving as its president. He advocates for using layman's terms instead of medical jargon, stating, "If doctors speak in technical terms, patients find it hard to understand. It needs to be explained in a language that the general public can grasp, similar to how journalists communicate."
His interest in public health continued in his clinical practice. During his tenure as the director of Seobuk Hospital, he operated a ward dedicated to homeless patients who were reluctant to seek treatment. He recalls the experience of recruiting volunteers to staff the ward instead of assigning medical personnel unilaterally. Since becoming the director of Seoul Medical Center, he has arranged separate health check-up days for individuals with disabilities, allowing them to undergo examinations without feeling self-conscious.
Appointed as the director of Seoul Medical Center in 2023, he faced conflicts with the medical community while working to restore general medical services following the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, he is focused on improving the quality of care and hospital operations through the use of medical AI. His aspirations are modest; he aims to create a hospital that citizens can trust and one that can share experiences with other public hospitals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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