2026-06-07
The Student Days of Director Choi Dong-il from Gangnam Seoyeon Plastic Surgery
Director Choi Dong-il reflects on his medical school days spent in the anatomy and histology lab researching brain-related experiments using gerbils.
The Student Days of Director Choi Dong-il from Gangnam Seoyeon Plastic Surgery
During my medical school days, I spent every vacation immersed in experiments at the Department of Anatomy and Histology.
Most of the research was related to the brain. At that time, I conducted experiments using animals called gerbils, which are desert rodents.
A photo I found on Google...
They look so pretty and cute, but they were... well, anatomy experiment animals.
Since some of these animals are born with a predisposition for epileptic seizures, I used them for my research.
Generally, when scientists write papers, especially those published internationally, they can be searched on a site called www.pubmed.com.
These are the papers that appear when searching on PubMed.
For these two papers, I spent three precious vacations during my medical school years conducting experiments.
I would like to thank Professor Won Moo-ho and Professor Kang Tae-cheon for their help at that time.
I seriously considered staying in basic medical science to continue my academic pursuits, but after deciding on a career as a plastic surgeon, I am now striving to study hard in this field as well.
I am working hard to see patients, perform surgeries, review academic papers, and I am also trying to write my own papers.
A diary should be kept in a blog, not a notebook... because I have lost all my old notebooks. T_T
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of research did Director Choi Dong-il mainly conduct during his medical school years?
He mainly conducted anatomical and histological experiments related to the brain. During every vacation, he remained in the department of anatomy and histology, dedicating himself to experiments using desert gerbils that naturally experienced epileptic seizures, thereby solidifying his foundation in medical research.
Did he publish any papers based on his research results during his school years?
Yes, he published two papers. These are the results of dedicating three valuable vacations during medical school entirely to experiments, and these papers can be searched on PubMed, a global medical paper search site.
Is there a reason why he chose plastic surgery instead of basic medicine?
He seriously considered staying in the basic medicine department for continuous academic exploration, but ultimately decided on a career as a plastic surgeon in the clinical field. Even after deciding his career path, he has not lost his passion for basic sciences and continues to study diligently.
What is his current medical philosophy at Gangnam Seoyeon Plastic Surgery?
It is to do his best in patient care and surgery, as well as to continuously research academics. Based on the passion he had during his medical school days, he continues to read medical papers and strives to write papers himself while practicing medicine.