Introduction
In May of 2012, DPRK approved the opening of DMS and Dr. Moses Kahng was appointed the Founding Vice President of DMS. The first school, the School of Dentistry, was opened in the Fall of 2015 under the leadership of Dr. Brian Lee as the Founding Dean. The School of Medicine is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2016.The first phase of the School of Medicine will be (an integrated) clinical training program (similar to US 3rd and 4th year clerkships) for the graduates of Pyongyang Medical School. The second phase will (establish formal) residency and fellowship programs in all specialties. The third phase will (have a full medical school curriculum in addition to the above.Construction of the DMS building on the PUST campus will begin in the Spring of 2016. The campus will house five schools(The Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health).
The aspiration of our school is to train our students to become highly qualified physicians at internationally recognized levels. They will have both the knowledge and clinical skills to diagnose and treat various complex medical diseases faced in North Korea today. Our hope is that our trained physicians will become positive role models and the future leaders of the healthcare reform in DPRK.
PUST History
As the first and only privately funded international institution in DPRK, PUST has played an integral part in teaching and leading. Since 2001, PUST has had over students graduate and hosted teaching professors from over countries.
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) opened in 2010 to help the people of the DPRK address their own needs, in areas ranging from engineering to business to agriculture. It is the first private university in the DPRK, and classes are taught in English by foreign faculty. More on the founding of PUST can be found here.
PUST currently has three departments out of its intended five in operation, and is in the process of starting its fourth: the Division of Medical Sciences. DMS has the opportunity to provide a university education in the field of healthcare, where the students will be on par with their international peers. This opportunity has been unprecedented in the DPRK.
PUST DMS History
The PUST Division of Medical Sciences began as a small clinic, for the students and staff of PUST, in October of 2010. From 2010 to 2012, additional foreign and local staff joined the clinic, and dental teams from the U.S. also started regular short-term visits. During these visits, the dentists initiated the development of a dental clinic at PUST.
In May 2012, discussions began to formally open a Division of Medical Sciences at PUST, and supporters from all over the world mobilized for the Division under the leadership of Dr. Moses Kahng, who was appointed as its Founding Vice President. The Division would mirror the structure of existing medical colleges in the DPRK today.
The five schools will be opened in phases. The deans for the College of Public Health, Dentistry and Medicine have been appointed, as these schools will be the first to open. PUST DMS has been granted partnerships with two hospitals in Pyongyang: Kim Man Yu Hospital – a general hospital – and Pyongyang General Dental Hospital. Both are to be used for clinical training.
In May 2014, PUST held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially start the construction for the Division of Medical Sciences.
PUST DMS Foundation
Address: 8199 Southpark Lane, suite 120
Littleton, CO 80120
Email: Foundation@PUSTDMS.org
Board of Directors
- Seong-Jin Kim -Chairman
- Jeff Choh
- David Jun
- Eunice Lee
- Sue Kim
- Christine Jun
- Daniel Shin
- Charlie Sands
- David Roh
- Moses Kahng
Officers
- Jeff Choh - President
- David Jun - Vice President
- Eunice Lee - Treasurer I
- SeHoon Park -Treasurer II
- Christine Jun - Secretary