Twenty years ago, as the  Republic of  Korea stood in the international spotlight while hosting the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the nation took little notice that a small medical school had been founded at Ajou University in Suwon. However, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ajou University School of Medicine (AUSOM) this year, we take immense pride in our achievements in medical education and academic research during that time. And we are confident of the progress we will make during the next twenty years. Also, this year marks the 14th anniversary of the founding of AUSOM’s Department of Otolaryngology. In the past year, we have treated more than 50,000 outpatients and performed nearly 3,000 operations. We have published 10 research papers by making every possible effort on the fundamental studies of otolaryngology diseases and gave 30 presentations at both domestic and international conferences. Dr. Yun-Hoon Choung is now studying at UC San Diego, and Dr. Chul-Ho Kim is planning to study at University of Tennessee next year. The activated in-service training system brings a wealth of experience to this department and will make our strong faculty stronger and provide a fresh perspective to help lead our department to the next level.

 In closing, we would like to thank and congratulate every member of the department. The accomplish-ments of our department were possible only through the help of all the faculty members, residents, nursing staffs and laboratory technicians, whose individual contributions and collective efforts will propel us beyond the borders of our country, beyond Asia, and into the global arena. And we also appreciate the support from the School of Medicine and the university in helping us to realize our goals.

Keehyun Park, M.D., Ph.D.
Chairman
Department of Otolaryngology