It is one thing to treat the symptoms of patients, but it’s another to treat the whole person, understand their needs and provide compassionate care. Professor Choi Youngsik of Busan, South Korea has dedicated his entire career to education, medical innovation and research, volunteerism and helping others in need.
Through service and kindness, great things are possible.
For his dedication to humanitarian service and medical contributions to the world, Professor Youngsik was presented with the 2021 Lions Humanitarian Award. The presentation of this special award was broadcast during the 103rd Lions Clubs International Convention on June 28, 2021.
The Lions Humanitarian Award, the highest honor of the association, is given to an individual or an organization with exemplary humanitarian efforts and comes with a US$250,000 grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation. Professor Youngsik joins a distinguished list of prior recipients, including Mother Teresa, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Denis Mukwege.
Lions Clubs International President Dr. Jung-Yul Choi presented Professor Choi Youngsik with the award during a special ceremony, stating, “I am honored to present this award on behalf of the more than 1.4 million Lions around the world. Your work is changing lives, just like Lions, and we are proud to support you and your important humanitarian efforts.”
Professor Youngsik graduated from the Kosin University College of Medicine. His passion for humanitarian service began by observing his mentor, Dr. Jang Gi-ryeo, a surgeon, educator and philanthropist of South Korea who established Gospel Hospital in 1951 during the Korean War.
Inheriting Dr. Jang’s spirit of compassionately caring for others, Professor Youngsik began his medical volunteer work as part of a medical team that was dispatched to Bangalore, India in 1996. They were later dispatched to the remote Tuguegarao area of the Philippines where he and his team have provided free treatment to patients in need since 2012. He also conducted research on correlations between the local food of Tuguegarao and thyroid diseases after treating many thyroid patients he met in the area during his medical service.
Under his leadership, Kosin University Gospel Hospital opened its overseas checkup centers in Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan in 2015 and 2016 respectively, providing free treatment to residents. A group of doctors in Almaty was invited to the Gospel Hospital for training and education opportunities so they could continue to serve their communities more effectively.
In 2018, Professor Youngsik was named the dean of the Kosin University College of Medicine and the director at Gospel Hospital. Under his guidance, medical teams visited Hanoi, Vietnam in 2018 and 2019, providing medical service to residents who had no access to it. Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, Professor Youngsik recognized the benefits of telemedicine and how technology can provide safe access to healthcare. In 2020, Kosin University Gospel Hospital opened a telemedicine center in conjunction with the Hanoi Medical College, creating a venue for the sharing of medical information.
In the domain of medical research, Professor Youngsik published the nation’s first paper on the utility of ultrasound-guided fine-needle examinations on thyroid nodules in the Journal of Korean Society of Endocrinology. His research was revolutionary at a time when only palpable nodules were subjected to fine needle examinations instead of ultrasound tests. Based on this research, he contributed to the nationwide generalization of ultrasound-guided fine-needle examinations in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules through his in-service training lectures.
The research earned him many awards, including the Academic Medals of Korean Association of Internal Medicine and Korean Thyroid Association, the Academic Award at Medical Competition of Busan Medical Association, and the presidential citation on the 12th Cancer Prevention Day in 2019.
“I am truly honored to receive the Lions Humanitarian Award,” said Professor Youngsik. “It is important that we set an example for our communities and the world by volunteering, teaching and helping others.”
Learn more about the Lions Humanitarian Award and see our list of winners at https://www.lionsclubs.org/humanitarian-winners.
Shauna Schuda is the senior media relations specialist for Lions Clubs International.
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