Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

Severance International Fellowship (SIF) is open to foreign physicians, dentists, nurses, medical technicians, or hospital administrators who wish to experience clinical care, operative procedures, and participate in research activities at Severance Hospital(Sinchon) Seoul, Korea. This program builds on the hospital’s long legacy and mission to educate future clinical leaders in healthcare and ultimately reducing health inequalities in the global society.

※ The Training Fee for Dermatologic Surgery Program cannot be reduced or waived.

The Dermatologic Surgery Specialty Clinic is dedicated to the treatment and cure of skin cancers. It was established by Kee Yang Chung, who introduced Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) at Yonsei after training with Tatyana Humphreys at Thomas Jefferson University. Since the first MMS case in July 2000, the cumulative number of cases at Yonsei Dermatology surpassed 5,000 in November 2025, representing the first such achievement by a single institution in Korea.

In the 2000s, Min-Geol Lee led pioneering work on dendritic cell–based immunotherapy for advanced melanoma, including investigator-initiated clinical trials evaluating dendritic cell vaccines. Clinical and basic research in skin cancer has been actively advanced under the leadership of Kee Yang Chung. The dermatologic surgery group has focused on the genetic and clinical characteristics of skin cancers in Korean patients and has developed innovative surgical techniques. He also established a multidisciplinary approach to the management of malignant melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. In addition, Yonsei Dermatology is actively engaged in the treatment of rare skin cancers, including dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and extramammary Paget’s disease.

Currently, Byung-Ho Oh leads the dermatologic surgery division, succeeding Prof. Chung. He is an international affiliate member of the American College of Mohs Surgery and performs approximately 600 surgical procedures annually, including around 300 Mohs micrographic surgeries and 200 melanoma surgeries. In 2023, he proposed criteria supporting function-preserving (non-amputative) surgery for nail unit melanoma measuring less than 0.8 mm in thickness, which have since been incorporated into multiple clinical guidelines. He has also consistently published studies presenting novel treatment outcomes for recalcitrant keloids, ingrown toenails, and warts.

1. All foreign trainees have to be eligible to enter Korea without violating Article 11(Prohibition, etc. of Entry) of the Immigration Act of the Republic of Korea.
   
   
2. All foreign trainees have to be enough fluent in English or Korean to participate in the training. Trainees have to be not only able to do daily conversation, but also have to understand and be able to listen, read, write, and speak about their professional specialty area in English or Korean. Severance Academy might request official proof of the trainee's language proficiency if necessary. Interpretations are NOT available.
   
   
3. All foreign trainees have to be registered as trainees in Severance Academy, mainly by applying online at this homepage. (Email applications are not recommended.)
   
   
4. All foreign trainees have to submit a immunization form that asks for proof of vaccination or antibody test results for specific diseases designated by Severance Hospital. Please download the form here.