The 4th Annual Korean Women in Science & Engineering TX Conference was held on May 18, 2019 at UT Health, Houston TX. The annual conference is hosted by KWiSE and KSEA South TX to promote networking among women scientists from UT Health, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Texas A&M. After the opening remarks from Dr. Seung-Hee Yoo (President; KWiSE@TX) and Dr. Goo Jun (President; KSEA South TX), the first scientific session started with Dr. Jiyoung Yoo (Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, UTHealth Medical School) and Dr. Ohbet Cheon (Houston Methodist Research Institute, Center for Outcomes Research).
The keynote speaker, Dr. Kyungsoon Chung (Professor, Department of Neuroscience, UTMB), shared her personal story of becoming a female scientist in Korean society during the late 1960s and how she overcame the “glass ceiling” in a male dominated society.
The afternoon scientific session focused on cancer biology. Dr. Betty Y.S. Kim (Associate Professor, Neurosurgeon, at MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Dr. Jihye Yun (Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor) shared their research programs. A poster session was held afterward. Dr. Juyeon Jo (BCM) won the 1st prize in the poster session.
This annual conference provided an environment to build a strong regional network among Korean women in biomedical research and engineering and to create collaborative and interdisciplinary research opportunities. We hope to see you all again next year!