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.

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.

Severance children’s hospital is located close by Severance hospital in the same campus area of Yonsei University College of Medicine. Outpatient clinic, hospital treatment, and all the therapeutic procedures and examinations are performed in Severance children’s hospital. The fellowship program of pediatric urology began about 30 years ago. Our fellow program was organized by former director, Dr. Sang Won Han. At present, the alumni of our fellowship program are playing important roles in the Korean society of pediatric urology.

From the late 2000s, our fellowship program was opened to international urologists, and many foreign urologists completed their fellowship training successfully. Now, they hold crucial roles in the urological society of their country.

Our department is now staffed by three pediatric urologists. One year program is focused on clinical training. We have high-volume surgical cases, extensive patient pool and advanced treatment technique. And, fellows will have the opportunities to train in open, laparoscopic, robotic and endoscopic procedures. Two year program will be combined with basic research.

We also have pediatric neuro-urology clinic, named bladder-urethra-rehabilitation clinic. This clinic focus on the management of all sorts of pediatric neurologic or non-neurogenic voiding dysfunction (overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, dysfunctional voiding), including medical treatment, parent counseling, physical and emotional build-up for children with neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Our clinic will offer the experiences with pediatric urodynamic study, biofeedback and intravesical electro-stimulation therapy.

The training curriculum may be adjusted for the fellow’s training plan. During the fellowship training, switching to department of adult urology; uro-oncology, endourology, adult neuro-urology (e.g. 6 months in pediatric urology, and 6 months in adult neuro-urology) is also possible, with the program director’s consent.

Inpatient Clinical Volume:

▪ 1,900 admissions per year

▪ 1,000 consults per year

▪ 1,300 urodynamic study cases per year (including video-urodynamic study)

▪ 2,000 surgical cases per year

▪ 380 VUR surgery cases (Laparoscopic, Open, and Endoscopic injection)

▪ 300 Hypospadias surgery

▪ 90 Pyeloplasty cases (Robotic, Laparoscopic and Open)

▪ 20,000 Outpatients per year

<1 year program>

The focus of 1 year program is clinical training. During the training, fellow will be exposed to very comprehensive experiences with open, minimally invasive surgery (robotic, laparoscopy, single port surgery) and endoscopic procedures. Surgical expertise and tips of our faculties will help to enhance clinical competence 

The surgeries performed in the department of pediatric urology are as follows.

Scrotal and simple penile surgery: These are fundamental surgeries in pediatric urology including undescended testis, hydrocele, inguinal hernia and penile plastic surgery such as penoplasty

1. ▪ Hydrocelectomy and inguinal hernioplasty (open and laparoscopic)

▪ Orchiopexy (open and laparoscopic) 

▪ Partial, radical orchiectomy 

▪ Penoplasty

Hypospadias and disorders of sex development: We have high-volume hypospadias cases, over 300 cases a year. We have our original surgical technique for treating severe hypospadias; meatal island onlay proximal transverse island flap (MIOPTI) and combined MIOPTI. In addition, we also perform genital plastic surgery to treat children with disorders of sexual development and have long-term treatment experiences.

▪ Hypospadias

▪ Vaginoplasty

Stone surgery : These include the most part of endourologic techniques, including flexible ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy and laparoscopy. 

▪ Ureteroscopic ureterolithotomy and retrograde intra-renal surgery (RIRS)

▪ Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-perc)

Bladder surgery : These include surgeries for treating vesicoureteral reflux, duplicating system and other anomalies in bladder. Our robust surgical program offers diverse surgical experiences with open, endoscopic and laparoscopic (transvesicoscopic) techinque.

▪ Ureteroneocystostomy (open and transvesicoscopic)

▪ Common sheath reimplantation (open and transvesicoscopic)

Kidney surgery : Our surgical program includes the most part of surgical technique; open, laparoscopic (conventional multiport, single port) and robotic surgery 

▪ Ureteropyelostomy (open, laparoscopic and robotic)

▪ Pyeloplasty (open, laparoscopic and robotic)

▪ Nephrectomy (open, laparoscopic and single port)

Reconstructive surgery : We also perform various reconstructive surgeries for treatment of pediatric neurogenic bladder.

▪ Fascial sling 

▪ Artificial sphincter implantation 

▪ Augmentation cystoplasty (ileocystoplasty and seromuscular cystoplasty)

<2 year program>

Two year training course is also provided. In the second year training course, those interested in basic science will participate in basic researches. At present, our ongoing studies are renal physiology, neurogenic bladder function on the laboratory base. In addition, those interested in clinical study can participate in clinical research using our clinical database.