Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

1) Please introduce yourself.    

1. Hello, my name is Dr. Mudit Shah. I am 30 years old and married. I have my parents and a sister back home in India.

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

• I work in Mumbai, India specializing in Paediatric Orthopaedics.

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

• I came to Severance hospital on the recommendation of my senior consultant in India, Dr. Chasanal Rathod. She was a fellow here at Severance hospital a few years back. Since, I was interested in neuromuscular Paediatric Orthopaedics, she suggested me to train under Prof. HyunWoo Kim at Severance as he is the best in this field.

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4) How long is your training period in Korea?  

One year

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

• My focus is on learning Neuromuscular deformity management in Paediatric Orthopaedics.  My training supervisor is Prof Hyun Woo Kim who is a stalwart in this field.

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

• I think Severance hospital is one of the most advanced hospitals I have witnessed in terms of the equipment and the technology it has for providing medical and surgical care. For me the size of the Operating Room complex with almost 50 rooms is absolutely astonishing and amazing. The sheer number of operative cases in the operating room every day helps a budding surgeon like me to develop his skills even more. Severance is also a big centre for research work and they have all facilities to help a researcher do some good original work.

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

• The most important focus of my fellowship is neuromuscular deformity management. It does not only include surgical skills but how a multi-specialty approach helps in decision making. It includes upper limb, lower limb and spine deformities in neuromuscular diseases. General Paediatric cases along with emergency patients of trauma and infection are also part of my training curriculum.  I am also doing original research work with my mentor, Prof Kim. Associate professor Dr. Park, is helping me gain some experience with animal research at the Yonsei University Avison biomedical research centre.

8) What was your first impression of Korea?  

• This was the first time that I came out of my country for academic purposes and I was very apprehensive about the language, weather and the food. But I have absolutely loved the kindness and the warmth of the people of this country. The rich history, culture with the most amazing food of Korea does not make me miss home. I think I have blended well with the Korean culture. The discipline of the people to prevent the spread of corona virus is something the world should learn. The beauty of the city changes every season and it was absolutely stunning to watch the colors of autumn leaves when I had just landed here. I can’t wait for the cherry blossom season.

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

• It's difficult to put one memory but I think visiting the countryside to see the autumn leaves, having Korean food with friends and multiple hiking trips are just a few of the many memories that I will take back to India. On the academic front, I think having those healthy discussions with the professor on pre-operative cases and research topics early Monday morning would be something I would definitely miss.

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?  

• In these extremely difficult times, I think Korea is outstanding in dealing with the pandemic. Not just with the first but with the second wave too. People in Korea are evolved and aware of the situation and they take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Being a developing country with the second biggest population in the world, India was severely affected in terms of number of cases but I am also glad that India is one of the biggest suppliers of the covid vaccine in the world and it is on a path to recovery.

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

• It is a long list. Firstly I would like to thank my supervisor and my mentor, Prof Kim, who has not just been a very good teacher but a great host. Prof Kim and the international office have been very supportive to make my travel and movement from India to Seoul very smooth. I would like to thank the medical mission centre for providing me with the Avison fellowship and being like family away from home. I would like to thank Dr. KunBo Park for allowing me to be a part of his surgical team. I would like to thank the ‘workforce’ of the department, the residents of Paediatric Orthopaedics, who have been patient and have helped me a great deal in understanding the department, the culture and life in Korea. Lastly but very importantly, I would like to thank my colleagues and co-fellows with whom I have made great memories and a lifelong friendship - Dr. Lorenzo, Dr. Thanya, Dr. Sharkawy, Dr. Sylvia, Dr. Pichmanil.

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13) If you were to get the chance to come back, which field of clinical study would you like to focus on?

• If I get a chance, I would come back to learn some new surgical techniques and sharpen my skills with Prof Kim. At the same time, I would also like to come back to understand my shortcomings and deficiencies and improve on them with some healthy discussion with Prof Kim.