During the past four years since Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine was founded in March of 1997, there has been an ever increasing need to introduce the Medical School to overseas medical institutions and those engaged in medical education and researches. Hence we needed such a comprehensive book that will provide overall details of the School’s activities, faculty members and students. This book was written to cope with that very purpose and hopes to serve well in understanding Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine (SKKUSOM).

There are a total of 41 medical schools in Korea. Of these schools, two have celebrated their centenary, however, most of the medical schools in the nation came into existence in the past three decades. All the schools have a six-year curriculum. In general, the six-year curriculum is divided into a premedical course which occupies the first two years, a preclinical phase for the next two years, and a clinical phase for the last two years. The pattern of the premedical and preclinical instruction is pretty much traditional and disciplinary in most of the schools. Approximately 3,200 medical students graduate from the nation’s medical schools each year. More than 80 percent of the graduates undertake four or more years of education and training in a clinical specialty through internship and residency programs.

When we consider each developing step of medical education in Korea, it is beyond doubt that there has been a remarkable progress in postgraduate education and training during the past few years, particularly in clinical specialties. The undergraduate medical education, however, has repeatedly been criticized for its rigid three-phase organization - premedical, preclinical and clinical, as well as its traditional teaching method - disciplinary, didactic, lecture-based and teacher-centered. A few of the schools have strived to reform their medical education program, but most of their efforts seem in vain or yet to be further developed. Resistance from the faculty, the bulk of the class and insufficient financial support are the most prominent obstacles for reforming medical education.

With the opening of SKKUSOM, Dean Jung-Don Seo affirmed that the Medical School would be the one to bring about a new vision for medical education in Korea. As the basis of reform, he proposed to adopt the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) into the M.D. Program and sent several groups of faculty abroad to observe the status of current medical education in some of the pioneering medical schools, including those that were actively involved in PBL. Of these schools, the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), which adapted an excellent M.D. Program into their own situation, served our faculty and students in the training of PBL and shared its educational spirit, curricular materials, and faculty expertise. SKKUSOM greatly appreciates the JABSOM, particularly Dr. Leslie Tam, the Director then of the Office of Medical Education for his great efforts in implementing PBL into our school.

From the outset of the School, the faculty has participated actively in designing the curriculum as well as PBL implementation. The structure of the traditional curriculum, and the artificially fragmented three-phase structure has been reorganized into a highly integrated six-year program to meet our educational goals. A full two-year PBL program has been provided for third and fourth year students. Although it is certainly too early to draw any conclusions as to the school’s accomplishments to date, we take pride in our Medical School and we welcome your appreciation of the efforts the faculty and students have put in over the years.