Since its establishment in 1953, Sungkyunkwan University College of Pharmacy has been committed to developing new drugs and cultivating global pharmaceutical talent to lead the pharmaceutical industry. In 1996, the Samsung Foundation joined the management, and in 2008, the new pharmacy building was built with the support of alumni and the foundation, providing a state-of-the-art education and research environment. Along with these outward developments, the College of Pharmacy has been awarded various large-scale national projects, including the Basic Medical Research Center (MRC), Formulation Technology Support Center (DRC), Basic Research Laboratory Project Team (BRL), University Focused Research Institute Support Project, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Industry Specialization, Department of Biohealth Regulatory Science, and the 4th Industrial Revolution Innovation Leading University Project, and in 2020, the College of Pharmacy was the only pharmacy school in the country to host two BK21 projects, demonstrating its strength.

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our society is rapidly changing, and the role of pharmacists and the forms of medicines required by this era are also changing rapidly. With the reorganization of the College of Pharmacy into an integrated six-year program from 2022, the College of Pharmacy is pursuing bold changes to create a new look. To proactively respond to the opinions that pharmacy is a representative profession threatened by artificial intelligence, we have recruited professors who can educate pharmacy students on artificial intelligence and utilize it in drug development research, and professors who specialize in materials science and conduct tissue regeneration research as the categories of medicines change. We will continue to recruit new professors who can proactively respond to future developments in pharmacy, imparting cutting-edge pharmaceutical knowledge to students and becoming a world-class pharmacy school that leads the paradigm of global drug research.

First, we aim to lead the paradigm of pharmacy education by developing a specific education system and cutting-edge educational contents such as specialized practical training between universities, pharmacies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies, and to produce pharmacists required by future society. In addition, we aim to become a research-oriented pharmacy school that can lead global pharmaceutical research beyond Korea by creating a world-class research environment by attracting research-oriented professors, establishing a state-of-the-art research system, conducting large-scale joint research with biopharmaceutical companies and domestic and foreign research institutions, and establishing bio ventures.

By cultivating excellent pharmacists who can respond to the rapidly changing drug market and drug information, and by cultivating cutting-edge researchers who can lead the paradigm of new drug development, our College of Pharmacy will grow into a leading global pharmacy school beyond Korea. To this end, all professors and alumni, including myself, will work as one.

Sangjeon Chung, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Pharmacy