Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

1) Please introduce yourself.    

1. Abdulrahman Alqahtani, I’m 34 year old and three family members 

2) Where is your working place back in your country and what is your specialty?    

I’m working at King Abdulaziz Medical City- National Guard as interventional radiology fellow.

3) How did you get to know Severance? Why did you choose Severance as your training hospital?    

Severance hospital is very well-known, and I knew Severance Hospital from the my colleague, who was a fellow in this great hospital.
 

4) How long is your training period in Korea?  

15 months for Interventional radiology fellowship

5) Which area did you focus on during your fellowship at Severance? Who is your supervisor?  

My supervisor is Professor Man-Deuk Kim and I’m focusing on Korean-style interventional radiology and learning IR skills for vascular and non vascular intervention.

6) What is the most impressive feature of Severance Hospital?  

Severance Hospital has one of the top health care system of medical professionals with extensive patient care, variety of medical and surgical treatments and high medical technology.

The most impressive is the huge number of patients and hospital staffs working very hard with high standard for patients care.

The medical training is outstanding with involvement in patient’s care and research projects. The medical professionals are well-qualified with great experiences.

7) What are the specific contents of your fellowship program at Severance?  

My clinical fellowship in interventional radiology, which is a sub-specialty of radiology, focuses on performing non-invasive treatment under guidance of imaging for variety of diseases including vascular and non-vascular interventions, interventional oncology including liver cancer chemo and radioembolization, cancer ablation therapies, bleeding embolization, vascular accesses and also including women health such as treatment of uterine fibroids, ovarian Endometrioma and postpartum hemorrhage. Severance Hospital is one of the best centers in Korea with variety of cases and large number of procedures in daily basis, with enrollment in academic activities and researches, which makes my fellowship experience even more valuable.

8) What was your first impression of Korea?  

The modernity and history of the country caught my attention when I first arrived in Korea and what most impressed me was the kindness and respectfulness of Korean people. 

South Korea is very safe and organized. The transportation is great.

9) What is the best memory so far during your stay here?  

During my stay in South Korea, my family were very happy when my child was born in Korea. In addition, one of the best memories was during the fall season, when we enjoyed the beautiful tree color changes and the nature.

10) What are your thoughts and feelings about the way Korea is dealing with COVID-19, and what is the situation like in your home country?  

I came to South Korea in March 2020 in the beginning of the Pandemic and I was amazed of how Korea was dealing with this pandemic in a professional way to control the spread of the disease. Korean people are well-educated and applying all the precautions.

12) Who are you most thankful for at Severance (who helped you the most) & why?  

I’m most thankful and grateful to Professor Man-Deuk Kim, who has introduced me the Korean-style skills in interventional radiology. Professor Man-Deuk Kim is highly professional and well-known worldwide and has novel technique for treatment of ovarian Endometrioma without surgery and I learned a lot from him so far. I’m so glad to have this great opportunity to be an IR fellow in severance hospital. 

Also, I’m thankful for all professors in intervention radiology, co-fellows, residents, nurses and technologist, they are so helpful, and I also learned a lot from them.