JW LEE Center for Global Medicine

What JW LEE Center for Global Medicine does

JW LEE Center for Global Medicine (이종욱글로벌의학센터) is a non-profit academic research center established in August 2012 under Seoul National University College of Medicine, named in honor of Dr. LEE Jong-wook, the 6th Director-General of the World Health Organization. The center operates education, research, and global contribution programs aimed at strengthening medical capacity in low- and middle-income countries, with primary focus areas in pediatric cardiac surgery, trauma surgery, and healthcare workforce development. It delivers clinical fellowship training to invited foreign medical professionals at Seoul National University Hospital and dispatches Korean medical teams for on-site surgical missions and capacity building in partner countries across Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Asia — covering Ethiopia, Vietnam, Nepal, Côte d'Ivoire, Iraq, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Laos among others.

The center's underlying operational model is project-based professional services delivery, not a commercial technology or product business. Its offerings consist of three program categories — Education Programs, Research Programs, and Global Contribution Programs — supplemented by a structured Academic Internship Program running 3–4 cohorts per year. Revenue is generated through Korean Official Development Assistance grants channeled primarily via KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) and KOFIH (Korea Foundation for International Healthcare), with supplementary partnerships including Samsung Life Insurance and Seoul National University Hospital Health Foundation. Designated as a WHO Western Pacific Regional Education Development Center in 2012 and a WHO Medical Information Literature Cooperation Center in 2014, the center maintains formal institutional relationships with WHO and WPRO.

The go-to-market is event- and relationship-driven rather than commercial: government buyers in partner countries are engaged through Korean diplomatic and ODA channels, fellows are selected by invitation, and surgical missions are scheduled as multi-year bilateral programs. Marketing is conducted through the center's bilingual website (Korean/English), social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube), newsletters and press releases, and participation in academic conferences such as CUGH 2026. The customer base consists of foreign government health ministries and public hospitals, with the headcount reported at 8 employees leveraging the broader SNU College of Medicine faculty as in-kind clinical capacity.

Name

JW LEE Center for Global Medicine

Legal name

JW LEE Center for Global Medicine (이종욱글로벌의학센터)

Website

https://jwleecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JW LEE Center for Global Medicine is a Seoul National University-affiliated non-profit academic center that delivers medical capacity building education, surgical missions, and research programs for healthcare professionals in developing countries across Africa and Asia, funded primarily through Korean ODA grants via KOICA and KOFIH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Medical Capacity Building

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAKAM

Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYEDAHAGAM

Global Health Institutes & Programs

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYEDAAAPAA

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Industry-Specific Training (Healthcare, Tech, etc.)

SECONDARYHLAJALAO

International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYEDAIAGAC

Public Health & Medical Volunteering Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

Keywords

• Global health capacity building
• Medical professional training
• Cardiac surgery training
• International healthcare research
• ODA project implementation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. ODA Project Grants: Funded primarily through Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs managed by KOICA and KOFIH. The center implements government-funded healthcare development projects in partner countries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JW LEE Center for Global Medicine delivers medical capacity building programs for healthcare workers in developing countries, including pediatric cardiac surgery training, trauma surgery workshops, clinical fellowships at Seoul National University Hospital, and on-site surgical missions. The center also conducts international health policy research and serves as a WHO-designated cooperation center for medical information and literature. All programs are funded through Korean government ODA grants and provided at no cost to participants or partner institutions.

Product overview

The JW LEE Center for Global Medicine operates as an academic medical research center under Seoul National University College of Medicine, not as a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of education programs (including the Academic Internship Program), research programs, and global contribution/outreach programs. These programs work together to fulfill the Center's mission of improving healthcare in developing countries through medical capacity building, research, and international cooperation, following the legacy of Dr. LEE Jong-wook, the 6th Director-General of WHO.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Programs (교육사업) Medical capacity building and education programs for healthcare professionals in developing countries, including cardiac surgery training, trauma surgery workshops, and invitational training programs at Seoul National University Hospital.
• Research Programs (연구사업) Research activities focused on global health issues, international health policy, and healthcare system strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.
• Global Contribution Programs (국제공헌사업) International outreach programs providing medical assistance and capacity building to developing countries, including cardiac surgery missions, hospital infection control programs, and healthcare system development projects in Ethiopia, Vietnam, Nepal, Côte d'Ivoire, Iraq, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
• Academic Internship Program (아카데믹 인턴십 프로그램) A structured internship program that provides students with hands-on experience in international health through mentorship with center researchers, weekly seminars, and participation in global health projects. The program runs 6-8 weeks per cohort with 3-4 cohorts per year.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ethiopia cardiac surgery program: 25 pediatric patients screened, 10 surgeries performed with local medical staff participation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Samsung Life InsuranceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2014MOU for cooperation in international health professional development and academic research activities including disease prevention, health promotion research, and healthcare system studies.
• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2014MOU signed for performing ODA projects and cultivating global talent. KOICA provides funding and framework for international development projects, while the center provides technical expertise and implementation for healthcare capacity building programs.
• Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2014Partnership for disease prevention projects in Southeast Asia. KOFIH funds healthcare initiatives while the center implements training and capacity building programs. Program includes cardiac surgery training and support for 100 core medical personnel from 8 Southeast Asian countries.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2014Designated as WHO Medical Information Literature Cooperation Center. The center collaborates with WHO to publish academic achievements and manage health information databases. Also maintains relationship with WHO Western Pacific Regional Office as a designated Regional Human Resources Development Center.
• Seoul National University Hospital Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in Ethiopia Cardiac Surgery Capacity Building Project since 2015, providing clinical support and training expertise for pediatric cardiac surgery programs.
• Dhulikhel Hospital (Nepal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner hospital in Nepal for pediatric cardiac surgery capacity building. The hospital receives training support and sends medical staff to Seoul National University for fellowship programs.
• Seoul National University College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent institution providing institutional framework, faculty support, and access to hospital facilities for training programs.
• 175 Military Hospital (Vietnam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Vietnam for medical education curriculum development and ultrasound diagnostic training. Joint efforts include hosting medical educators from multiple developing countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Partners in Health: Non-profit delivering health services and clinical training in resource-limited settings, with a parallel model of pairing tertiary-care expertise with long-term partner-country institution building — closely aligned to JW LEE's surgical capacity-building approach.
• Duke Global Health Institute: U.S. university-based global health center focused on research, training, and capacity building in low- and middle-income countries, with strong partner-country hospital networks — a structural peer in the academic global health center model.
• Jhpiego (affiliate of Johns Hopkins University): Non-profit global health organization focused specifically on health workforce training and capacity building in LMICs, with a similar delivery model of in-country clinical training, fellowships, and surgical skills transfer — directly comparable mission.
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH): University-affiliated institute combining research, post-graduate training, and implementation of capacity-building projects in LMICs, with strong SDC funding ties. Highly comparable as a multi-decade, ODA-anchored global health academic institution.
• National Center for Global Health and Medicine (Japan): Japan's flagship government-affiliated global health institution, operating under the Ministry of Health with parallel mandates in international medical training, ODA-funded capacity building, and research — directly comparable in role and funding model to JW LEE.
• Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine: Japanese university-based institute with a comparable profile: medical school affiliation, long history of capacity building in developing countries, WHO designation, and ODA-funded training/research programs — making it a close structural analog.

Broad incumbents

• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA): Korea's primary ODA executing agency and JW LEE's largest funder. While not a peer in a competitive sense, it operates adjacent capacity-building programs in health and is the dominant Korean institutional counterpart for any global health NGO.
• Harvard Global Health Institute: Larger, more research-oriented global health center at a top U.S. medical school; comparable in academic anchoring and LMIC engagement but at much greater scale and with a more global-health-security thematic focus than JW LEE's surgical training niche.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: Larger and more established global health academic institution, but with a comparable DNA: research-led, training-heavy, and deeply embedded in LMIC capacity-building partnerships through DFID/FCDO and Wellcome funding.
• Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH): Korean government agency under the Ministry of Health that funds and operates international healthcare programs. JW LEE is a key implementation partner; they share mandate overlap in global health workforce development and serve as both a partner and quasi-funder.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jwleecenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC93BvjQ3K8sb2F0SZsTdYTg
• Facebookfacebook.com/JWLeeCGM
• Instagraminstagram.com/jwleecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jw-lee-center-for-global-medicine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about JW LEE Center for Global Medicine