Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

1. 1) Please introduce yourself.

1. I’m Lloyd Nario Bordeos, 39 years old. My wife’s name is Antoniette, she is an anesthesiologist. We have 2 children, a son named Santino and a daughter named Aryana. They are both in High School.

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

1. I am working as Medical Officer at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City, Philippines for 12 years now in the Department of General Surgery.

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

1. I got to know Severance Hospital because of my batchmate during residency training, who had his fellowship training in Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery here at Severance Hospital. He told me so many great and positive things about Severance Hospital that made me become interested in applying also for fellowship training in the same institution.

4)  How long is your training period in Korea?

1. 1 year and 3 months

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

1. My fellowship training in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery is focused on Minimally Invasive Gastric Cancer Surgery under the mentorship of Prof. Woo Jin Hyung.  

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

1. Before coming here, I already knew that Severance Hospital is one of the largest and most advanced healthcare facilities not only in the country but perhaps in Asia. During my time in training, I am in awe of its State-of-the-art equipment, world-class facilities, and experienced doctors and staff. It has all the features of a topnotch hospital, from the design and architecture of its buildings, its wise leaders and administrators, its cutting-edge technology, its patient-centered policies and approach, and the coordinated care between various departments. But what impresses me most is how it integrates modern technology in every aspect of healthcare, from patient data management to surgical procedures. 

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

1. My fellowship training program covers the management of benign and malignant diseases of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract. It focuses on Minimally Invasive Surgery for Gastric and Esophageal Cancer, with exposures also in benign Upper GI and Gastric sleeve surgery.

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

1. If I were given a chance to come back and choose a field of clinical study to focus on, I would choose Esophageal Cancer Surgery. The reason is that Esophageal cancer surgeries are fewer in comparison to the sheer volume of Gastric cancer surgeries at Severance Hospital, and for me the more esophageal cases I get to see the more clinical knowledge I will acquire. 

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

1. I am very thankful to all the Professors in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery for sharing their precious time, knowledge, and experience to us foreign fellows. I am most thankful to my mentor Prof. Woo Jin Hyung for accepting me and giving me the opportunity to train under him. I learned a lot from him not only about surgery but also about discipline, patience, hard work, dedication, and commitment to one’s craft. 

10) What was your first impression of Korea?

1. I initially knew Korea because of my wife. She loves everything about Korea, from the history and culture, language, people, food, fashion, to beauty products and K-pop and dramas. When I got to live here during the duration of my training, I noticed that there was more to it than what I already knew. I am amazed by how everything is well planned and organized. How clean and modern are the cities. How disciplined, honest, and polite the Korean people are. And how cold it is in Seoul during the winter!

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

1. When me and my wife went on a trip to Busan, Nami and Jeju Islands are so far my best memories here in Korea. I hope to bring my son and daughter here soon so they may experience how beautiful this country is.