Myongji Hospital recently announced the inauguration of the Sports Medicine Research Institute to share research achievements and clinical experience in sports medicine.

The institute will be headed by Myongji Hospital President Kim Jin-goo, an orthopedics surgeon who is one of the country's leading authorities on sports medicine, and will have five other professors.

The institute's primary objective is to conduct comprehensive research on medical issues that can arise during sports activities, including musculoskeletal conditions affecting the knee, shoulder, ankle, foot, waist, and hip joints.

Significantly, leveraging the extensive clinical experience and data amassed by Professor Kim, who has treated numerous national athletes such as volleyball player Kim Yeon-Koung, speed skater Lee Sang-hwa, and swimmer Park Tae-hwan, the institute plans to enhance collaboration with sports medicine-related institutions to establish itself as a specialized research center encompassing industry, academia, research, and healthcare.

The institute's ultimate goal is to expand its academic activities beyond the limits of the existing system, which focuses on diagnosis and treatment, to include prevention and systematic management of diseases based on sports medicine research.

To do so, the institute plans to invite domestic and foreign scholars to hold regular international conferences and seminars to share the latest views on sports medicine and clinical and research experiences to strengthen research activities and expand exchanges.

The institute also aims to strengthen cooperation with the Pittsburgh Sports Medicine Center, one of the world's leading sports medicine centers, and expand exchanges to American, European, and East Asian sports societies.

Aside from treating athletes, the institute will conduct public health campaigns targeting not only patients and professionals but also the general public.

Under the slogan "Exercise Is Medicine," the institute plans to expand its health campaigns to the eight major chronic diseases, starting with arthritis.

"The number of people participating in sports activities is increasing, and the number of patients suffering from injuries is also increasing rapidly," President Kim said. "We will conduct a wide range of research on how to treat injuries and how to prevent them at the Sports Medicine Research Institute."

In a congratulatory remark, Myongji Hospital Chairman Lee Wang-jun also said, "The Myongji Hospital Sports Medicine Center has served as a center for the treatment of sports injuries for numerous national athletes. Now that the Sports Medicine Research Institute has opened, it will serve as a bridgehead in promoting and spreading the center's achievements."

Lee stressed that he hopes the institute will help make sports injuries less of a disease and more of a routine treatment.