First Korean to win the award by proposing excellent research that can lead to the development of the field of ophthalmology
Active research such as publishing in global SCI journals in the basic medicine and clinical fields
"I will do research to develop cures for diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration that can lead to blindness"
[September 20, 2016]
YU College of Medicine Professor of Ophthalmology Lee Joon-yeop became the first Korean to win the 'Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, Research Award'.
The 'Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, Research Award' was created for the development of research in the global ophthalmology sector by the global pharmaceutical company 'Bayer'. Bayer is famous for 'aspirin', a household drug found in almost all homes around the world for relieving fevers and as a painkiller.
The 'Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, Research Award' is given to researchers who proposed studies expected to have significant impact on the development of the future ophthalmology sector. The Grant Review and Awards Committee comprised of 13 scholars in ophthalmology and basic medicine selects winners through strict reviews over two phases to support around 100 researchers a year, and then awards 3 to 5 winners. This is the first time for a Korean researcher to win the 'Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, Research Award'.
Professor Lee won this award with his research titled, 'Choroidopathy related to perictye as pathologies of macular degeneration and diabetic maculardema' and will receive 50,000 dollars in research funding. Professor Lee remarked, "It is a great honor to win the 'Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, Research Award' for the first time as a Korea," and added, "My goal is to develop treatment to cure diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration that can lead to blindness."
Professor Lee graduated from the YU Medical School and after earning his license as an ophthalmologist, he earned his PhD by carrying out basic research at the KAIST Graduate School of Medicine. After working at the Seoul Asan Medical Center, he began serving as a professor at YU from March of this year. In addition to diagnosis and operations, he also has a lab for carrying out basic research on blood vessels. Professor Lee has been highly active in the two fields of basic medicine and clinical sectors by publishing recent research results in global SCI journals such as Science Translational Medicine, which is a world-acclaimed journal in the medical sector, and 'Ophthalmology', the world's most authoritative journal on ophthalmology.
Meanwhile, Professor Lee received this award at the 16th European Society of Retina Specialists conference held on the 8th in Copenhagen, Denmark.
