One day in June 2007, a few professors gathered for dinner. The subject of the dialog during the meal naturally led to the conclusion that they would be happy to discuss each other's research and to form a study group that could help each other. This meeting gave birth to a society named as Heogonghoe. The members of the society were the founding members of the Ischemic/Hypoxic Disease Institute, and from this meeting a group of research members began to actively discuss each other's research. The society, which gathered for lunch and held a research presentation once a month, developed to a venue to share and cooperate with various researches in basic and clinical fields. It is a voluntary and active research society for the members of the Institute who look forward to more expectations.
The Ischemic/Hypoxia Disease Institute, which was established in February 2008 from the Heogonghoe society, is now over ten years old. In ten years, the river will change. In retrospect, the Institute that developed from the small dinner meeting has resulted in many good results. With the contributions from the professors who participated in the Institute, research teams from MRC and BRL were awarded the research fund. They also were able to receive research funds from the government as an individual researcher and have made enthusiastic efforts.
Through active academic activities, the Institute held its own national and international symposiums and various camp-type academic conferences to further inspire researchers' academic motivation. Although it started weakly, the enthusiasm of the participating professors made huge results in 10 years. All of these achievements are more valuable because of the active involvement of the members in the Institute, as well as the achievement of a strong sense of community.
Today, as of July 16, 2019, is the fifty-year anniversary of the conquest of Apollo 11 to the moon. It is the day that the goal of President John F. Kennedy to land on the moon before the end of the 1960s was achieved. Like the power of science that opened the age of space that seemed impossible, we are looking forward to a new scientific leap forward of the Ischemic Hypoxia Disease Institute in line with the era of new scientific revolutions such as artificial intelligence and the fourth industry.
Yang-Suk Chun, Director of the Ischemic/Hypoxic Disease Institute