Foreign Medical Scientist Training Program
in Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
of Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University
Institute: Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine
Department: Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
Address: 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 130-710, Korea
Homepage
Department: http://www.samsunghospital.com/global/eng/dept/deptView.do?dp_code=REH
Hospital: http://www.samsunghospital.com/global/eng/main/main.do
Professor in charge: Yun-Hee Kim, MD, PhD (Chairperson)
E-mail: yun1225.kim@samsung.com
Our department has several special divisions for international fellows to observe and participate in.
Each special division has many trained persons including physicians, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, and nurses. All of them are supervised by faculties in charge of each
division. All the procedures in our department are based on the scientific evidences and personal
experiences and get the verification through regular discussions within our department or among
several departments.
The contents of our training program slightly differ according to each division but mainly consist of
textbook reading, inpatient round, outpatient clinic observation, and attendance at seminars. We
have special lecture programs from other department staffs to acquire the necessary knowledge for
the total cares of our patients. We have two kinds of programs: short-term (1 week to 3 months) and
long-term (4 months to 1 year) training programs.
Details in our hospital program for the international fellows can be seen in the site
“http://www.samsunghospital.com/global/eng/about/edu01.jsp”.
The Samsung Medical Center supports several benefits. One is the use of guest house having
total 60 beds in 30 rooms. This is equipped with a wireless internet, cable television, and shower
rooms. The second is to provide a space where the international fellows can have personal seats
and use shared computers. The third is to give personal pagers for the network of emergency
contacts. The international fellows from underdeveloped countries can receive additional benefits
including free usage of guest house and staff cafeteria and free support of a traveler’s insurance.
Each special division is briefly described as below.
I. Neurorehabilitation for Brain Diseases (Faculties in charge: Yun-Hee Kim, MD, PhD, Won-
Hyuk Chang, MD, PhD)
This division provides multidisciplinary rehabilitative service to people with sensory
disorder, motor paralysis, ataxia, dysarthria, cognitive disorder, dysphagia, and central
pain resulting from stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, degenerative brain disease,
vascular dementia, etc. Several treatments, such as, NDT, manual therapy, gait training,
occupational therapy are applied for the functional improvement. Gait training assisted
by the Robot (Lokomat) and underwater gait training are specialized programs in our
department. Cognitive rehabilitation is especially emphasized in this division. Patients with
memory impairment, attention deficiency, and executive function disorder are provided
conventional and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation programs by specialized
occupational therapists.
II. Non-invasive Brain Stimulation (Faculties in charge: Yun-Hee Kim, MD, PhD, Won-Hyuk
Chang, MD, PhD)
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current
stimulation (tDCS) are actively implicated for the management of motor impairment,
cognitive dysfunction, aphasia, and central neuropathic pain in both clinical and research
purposes. The therapeutic evidences of these modalities were published by our faculties
using the functional neuroimaging studies, such as, functional MRI.
III. Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord and Neuromuscular Diseases (Faculty in charge: Duk-Hyun
Sung)
This division offers diagnosis, treatment, and multidisciplinary rehabilitative service for
people suffering from diseases of the spinal cord, anterior horn cell, or muscles.
Botulinum toxin is often used in this division for the control of the spasticity caused by
spinal cord disease or cervical dystonia.
IV. Rehabilitation for Musculoskeletal Disease and Pain (Faculties in charge: Duk-Hyun Sung,
MD, PhD, Ji-Hye Hwang, MD, PhD, Sang-Jun Kim, MD, PhD)
This division offers diagnosis, treatment, and multidisciplinary rehabilitative service for
people with musculoskeletal diseases and pain such as lower back pain caused by
herniated intervertebral disc or spinal stenosis, shoulder pain, and activity-related
musculoskeletal pain and injury. Electrodiagnostic study is often conducted for the
diagnosis and fluoroscopic guided intervention, such as, selective transforaminal nerve
root block is performed for the management. Patients with shoulder pain can receive the
diverse managements, such as, manipulation provided by specialists, sono-guided
injection, and fluoroscopic-guided arthrodistention. The ultrasound device in our
department provides high quality images and dynamic motions, so helps to diagnose
rotator cuff disease, calcific tendinitis, and impingement syndrome.
V. Rehabilitation for Foot and Ankle Diseases (Faculty in charge: Ji-Hye Hwang, MD, PhD)
This division deals with overall problems of foot and ankle from general foot/ankle pain
and deformities including diabetic, arthritic foot to partial foot amputations. We have very
specialized diagnostic and therapeutic equipments such as foot pressure analysis system,
3-D motion analysis system, musculoskeletal ultrasound and ESWT. And also, we have
a well-trained podorthosist who can make foot orthosis and shoes based on physiatrist’s
prescription. Therefore, we can offer the opportunity to get practical knowledge under
physiatric view point beyond podorthosist’s one.
VI. Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Faculties in charge: Won-Ha Park, MD, PhD, Ji-Hye
Hwang, MD, PhD, Sang-Jun Kim, MD, PhD)
The division for sports medicine and rehabilitation has been designed and built to provide
systematic exercise programs to everyone from the elite athlete to members of the general
public, enabling each individual to return to his/her desired activity as soon as possible
after any type of sports injuries. Education programs of specific exercise fitting for
individual disease are also a part of this clinic.
VII. Rehabilitation for Cancer Patients including Lymphedema (Faculty in charge: Ji-Hye Hwang,
MD, PhD)
Every patient with cancer including cancer survivors needs physiatric managements to
resolve their physical pain and dysfunction and to enhance their quality of life. We have
separated cancer rehabilitation program from diagnosis to therapy located in cancer center.
Especially, lymphedema clinic is a key outpatient clinic among cancer rehabilitation
program. Lymphedema refers to the swelling that occurs most often in the arms or legs.
It can originate from cancer but happen without any noticeable cause. Complete
decongestive physiotherapy including manual lymphatic drainage has been adopted as an
efficient method for the lymphedema. We have a specialized education program for
physician and/or therapist.
VIII. Rehabilitation for Cerebral Palsy/Developmental Disorder (Faculty in charge: Jeong-Yi Kwon,
MD, PhD)
Children with cerebral palsy and developmental disorder are cared by specialized physical
and occupational therapists. A physiatrist specializing in pediatric rehabilitation evaluates
the condition of the child thoroughly, discusses the plans for current and long-term
management and home care, and gives information on the prognosis and precautions.
Treatments use a combination of physical therapy, occupational and speech therapy,
drugs, orthosis, botulinum toxin injection, and even recommendation of surgery depending
on the condition of the child. Hippotherapy for the cerebral palsy is also a specialized
program in our department and its therapeutic efficacy is proven by published report in
2011.
IX. High-risk Newborn Diagnosis and Management (Faculty in charge: Jeong-Yi Kwon, MD,
PhD)
Newborn babies at the intensive care unit are carefully monitored and managed by
neonatologists and pediatric physiatrists in our hospital for the early detection of possible
problems and for the early intervention.