About KSID
I am Dong-Gun Lee, the new chairperson of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (KSID).
Despite great achievements in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases in which we specialize, we still face challenges. Some acute infectious diseases continue to present epidemics. Our research in this area is so underdeveloped that it is struggling to combat severe infectious diseases as concerned by the late Professor Chong Hwee Chun in the KSID prospectus of November 1961. In the face of recurring epidemics with different patterns from the past and limited understanding and inadequate diagnosis and treatment of various microorganism such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, KSID has played a key role in academic communication regarding infections for the last 60 years.
For the last three years, people have gone through the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are still suffering from many infectious diseases, including COVID-19 though we successfully addressed the pressing needs. We cannot tell when a new infectious disease poses a threat to us again and do not have sufficient countermeasures in place against those diseases. Under these circumstances, I assume a heavy burden of responsibility to take over as the chairperson of KSID. As the chairperson of KSID, I would like to greet our members and tell you what will be done in the future.
First, we will continue carrying out the projects my predecessor has worked on.
The key initiatives implemented during his incumbency, including the recruitment of infection experts and the introduction of new antimicrobials to treat multi-drug resistant pathogens, must continue. We will endeavor to produce fruitful results from the infection experts’ efforts, including the enhanced public health by closely cooperating with the health authorities in order to recruit and nurture infection experts. Furthermore, we will introduce a system for the proper use of antibiotics and spare no efforts to use the antimicrobials against the multi-drug resistant pathogens in Korea.
December 1, 2023 Dong-Gun Lee
Second, we will provide opportunities to ensure our members can exchange and cooperate more with each other.
KSID will lead in organizing events to reassure our members, who have endured the COVID-19 pandemic, that we are on the right track and to chart a better path for the future as we have done. In particular, we will provide opportunities for young members to communicate with each other and unconstrainedly share their thoughts in various symposia and workshops as well as academic conference.
Third, we will establish and publish representative health indicators of Korea.
It is crucial to establish representative health indicators in Korea in addressing issues such as the severity of antimicribial resistance, the need for new antimicrobials, and the challenges in treating severe infectious diseases, including sepsis. KSID composed with the infection experts will lead the efforts to publish materials collected around the nation and convince the government, the National Assembly, and civic groups to reflect such materials in the nation’s policies.
Fourth, we will continue operating KSID’s publishing projects seamlessly.
We aim to have “Infection & Chemotherapy,” currently indexed in ESCI, included in SCIE and become one of Korea’s most representative journals, attracting global attention. In addition, we will help the publishing projects keep going on, including ‘Infectious Diseases’ and ‘Textbook of Guideposts to Antimicrobial’ whose revision editions are belatedly published due to COVID-19.
The inherent purpose of KSID is to develop studies in the field of infectious diseases and promote the fellowship among its members. As we have grown in stature as a group of infection experts representing Korea after experiencing a large-scale pandemic such as COVID-19, so has our responsibility. Although I may have limitations as an individual, I am committed to building a better future through collaboration with our president, board members, and seniors and juniors, drawing on my experience as a member and officer of KSID. I wish all members good health. Thank you.