Basic check-up Doctors Abroad — Page 7

Dr. Ilhan Mavioglu is a cardiovascular surgeon at Optimed International Hospital. He leads the Cardiovascular Surgery Outpatient Clinic. He performs minimally invasive anaortic coronary bypass and awake carotid surgery. Dr. Mavioglu holds a Professorship from Düzce University and trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He specializes in total arterial revascularization and complex endovascular interventions.

• Certified in robotic mitral valve repair and endovascular surgical techniques.
• Performs EVAR, FEVAR, and CERAB procedures for peripheral vascular conditions.
• Member of the European Association of Cardiovascular Surgery.
• Maintains over 400 scientific publications in journals like J Card Surg.

Dr. Wissarut Sakulpaptong is a board-certified cardiologist at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. He specializes in advanced echocardiography, including strain analysis and 3D studies. Dr. Sakulpaptong won a national echocardiography prize from the Heart Association of Thailand. He treats complex conditions like pulmonary hypertension and coronary artery disease.

• Specializes in transesophageal, stress, and congenital heart disease imaging.
• Served as Chief Fellow and Chief Resident at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.
• Developed clinical care pathways for NSTEMI and a home-visit warfarin program.
• Contributed to Thailand’s national clinical practice guidelines for migraine management.

Professor Kim Ki-bong specializes in CABG, valve surgery, atrial fibrillation, and heart transplantation. He is Director of the Cardiac Surgery and Cardiovascular Centers at Myongji Hospital. He pioneered advanced coronary bypass in Korea. He has extensive OPCAB experience and works on the TECAB team using the da Vinci Xi.

In 2025, his team performed Korea’s first totally endoscopic CABG without cardiopulmonary bypass. In August 2026, they achieved the nation’s first multivessel TECAB.

He is former Chair of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Seoul National University College of Medicine. He is also former Chief of the same department at Seoul National University Hospital. He serves on the Editorial Board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He is a member of AATS, STS, and EACTS. He is a past President of the Korean Societies of Coronary Artery Surgery, Surgical Treatment of Arrhythmias, and Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. His research includes 130+ international and 140+ Korean papers. He has given 80+ international and 80+ Korean lectures. He earned his MD, Master’s, and PhD at Seoul National University.

Professor Park Jung-won is a leading Korean specialist in hepatocellular carcinoma with over 30 years of experience. He is the Director of the Liver and Liver Cancer Center and the Integrated Cancer Care Center at Myongji Hospital. He led Korea’s first HCC guidelines in 2003. He has also overseen their updates for about 20 years. His team validated proton beam radiotherapy for liver cancer, as published in the Journal of Hepatology. He has authored more than 200 SCI-indexed papers. He also helped lead global trials, including the 2025 CheckMate 9DW study, which showed improved outcomes with nivolumab plus ipilimumab for unresectable HCC.

MD/PhD, Seoul National University; Member, National Academy of Medicine of Korea; former President, Korean Liver Cancer Association; Chair, Korean HCC Guidelines Committee; Prime Minister’s and Health Minister’s commendations; Pfizer Medical Research Award and Roche Oncology Academic Award.

Dr. Chin Kyung Sun is a nephrologist. He is the Director of the Nephrology Center at Naeun Hospital. He graduated from Gachon University College of Medicine. He trained in nephrology at Gachon University Gil Medical Center and completed a fellowship there.

He is a Korean Society of Nephrology Certified Dialysis Specialist. He previously served as Head of Internal Medicine at Incheon Red Cross Hospital. He is an adjunct professor at Gachon University and Inha University Colleges of Medicine. He is a member of the Korean Association of Internal Medicine and the Korean Society of Nephrology.

His clinical focus includes chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, hematuria, and proteinuria. He also provides dialysis therapy and care for other kidney diseases.

Dr. Jang Hyun Kyung is a board-certified urologist. She completed her residency and clinical fellowship at Gachon University Gil Medical Center. She later served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology at Korea University Ansan Hospital and at International St. Mary’s Hospital.

Her clinical interests include BPH, urolithiasis, urinary incontinence and voiding dysfunction, and urinary tract infections. She also focuses on male urology, pediatric urology, and urologic ultrasound.

Professional memberships: Full member of the Korean Urological Association, the Korean Continence Society, the Korean Society of Pediatric Urology, the Korean Association of Urogenital Tract Infection and Inflammation, and the Korean Society of Urological Ultrasound. Current affiliation: Urologist, Gibbeum Hospital.

Dr. Ertuğrul Ercan is a Professor of Cardiology at Medicalpoint International Hospital in İzmir. He specializes in interventional cardiology, atherosclerosis, and stem cell therapy. Dr. Ercan trained at the Cleveland Clinic and in Melbourne. He holds the European Cardiologist Diploma.

• Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.
• Member of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.
• Former Head of Cardiology and Dean at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.
• Treats complex valve diseases, coronary artery disease, and arrhythmia.

Dr. Song Hwayeong is a gastroenterologist. Areas of focus include gastrointestinal cancers (stomach and esophageal) and advanced endoscopy (gastroscopy, colonoscopy, ESD, and polypectomy). Dr. Song also treats digestive and liver diseases, including GERD, gastritis, hepatitis, H. pylori infection, and liver disease.

Dr. Song completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital. Dr. Song has served as Clinical Professor at Inje, Gachon, and Inha University Colleges of Medicine. Dr. Song is Director of the Gastroenterology Center at Naeun Hospital.

Accreditations: full member of the Korean Association of Internal Medicine, the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the Korean Gastroenterology Association. Doping Committee Member, WKBL.

Selected papers: cryptogenic hepatocellular carcinoma; primary biliary cirrhosis with overlap syndromes; therapy for lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B; and clevudine in HBV-related cirrhosis.

Dr. Pak Seongjin is a gastroenterologist. He focuses on endoscopy and advanced procedures such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy, polypectomy, and ESD. He also treats digestive and liver diseases, including cirrhosis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, and Helicobacter pylori infection.

He earned his M.D. and M.S. in Internal Medicine from Chung-Ang University. He completed his internal medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship at Chung-Ang University Hospital.

He is a clinical professor at Gachon University College of Medicine and Inha University College of Medicine. He is a full member of the Korean Association of Internal Medicine, the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the Korean Gastroenterology Association, and the Korean Pancreatobiliary Association.

Dr. Kim Taegyun is a gastroenterologist. He focuses on pancreatobiliary diseases and cancers, including pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts and cancer, cholecystitis, gallstones (cholelithiasis), and biliary tract cancer. He also performs advanced endoscopy, including ERCP. He treats gastrointestinal tumors, stomach and colon polyps, stomach cancer, and submucosal tumors (SMT).

Education and training: MD, Jeonbuk National University College of Medicine. MS in Medicine, University of Ulsan. Internship, Jeonbuk National University Hospital. Residency in Internal Medicine, Veterans Health Service Medical Center. Fellowships in Gastroenterology, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital and Asan Medical Center.

Career: Attending physician and specialist at Gwangju Veterans Hospital and the Veterans Health Service Medical Center.

Klinfang Phommisak — general practice / health screening, Pacific Garden Hospital.