On June 29, at UNIST was held the “Smart Healthcare International Symposium,” which was organized to create an arena to discuss state of the art research on smart healthcare.

Smart healthcare uses the new generation of information technologies, such as the internet of things (loT), big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI), to transform the traditional medical systems and make healthcare more efficient, convenient, and personalized. Besides, it is more consumer-focused and prevention-oriented care, rather than being hospital-centered and treatment-oriented.

From the United States, attendees from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) introduced some examples of the latest smart healthcare systems and their applications. Attendees from S. Korea’s Asan Medical Center, the Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Naver Inc., and LG U+ shared their ideas and best practices on the application of digital technologies in the biomedical field.

“Next-generation healthcare services transform disease prevention, treatment, and management into a new platform, revolutionizing the healthcare sector,” said Department Chair Woonggyu Jung (Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, UNIST). “At this time when standards and protocols for smart healthcare have yet to be established, healthcare data and collaboration across international networks are critical to the success of this enterprise.”

“A key focal area of the forthcoming School of Medical Sciences and Engineering at UNIST is ICT-based smart healthcare technology, which will contribute to our goal of training a generation of physician-scientists,” said UNIST President Yong Hoon Lee. “We hope that today’s symposium will be a stepping stone for leading global healthcare, attracting top talent, and fostering new growth industries.”