The Department of Pathology was established in 1957 and currently has seven faculty members actively engaged in both education and research. In terms of research, the department has produced significant outcomes not only in classical morphological studies but also in cutting-edge medical and life science research in the 21st century.

Recent major research topics include:

Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of liver, stomach, and colorectal cancers

Development of microdissection techniques, a core technology in genetic oncology

Investigation of apoptosis inhibition mechanisms in solid tumorsIdentification of carcinogenic mechanisms based on epigenomics

Genetic studies of tumor stromal cells

Research on the pathological mechanisms of autoimmune diseases

Development of therapeutic technologies and studies on human disease pathology using CRISPR gene-editing technology

1. Educational Activities

Undergraduate Courses (School of Medicine)

1st Year, 1st Semester: Scientific Concepts of Disease (General Pathology)

1st Year, 2nd Semester: Understanding of Disease (Systemic Pathology)

Undergraduate Courses (College of Nursing)

2nd Year, 2nd Semester: Pathology

Graduate Program Courses

Courses offered in the graduate program include Introduction to Research for Master’s and Doctoral Students, General Pathology I & II, Mechanisms of Cellular Injury, Treatment and Delivery Systems for Genetic Diseases, Molecular Pathology of Tumors, and Tumor Pathology.

2. Faculty Research Activities

Prof. Won-Sang Park

Professor Park conducts research on the function of gastrokin1, a stomach cancer–specific tumor suppressor gene, and its role in the development and progression of gastric cancer.

Prof. Seok-Hyung Lee

As the Director of the MRC Cancer Evolution Research Center, Professor Lee investigates the genetic mechanisms of cancer evolution that drive malignant progression. His research focuses on identifying genetic alterations associated with the transformation of precancerous lesions into invasive cancers, as well as with cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance.

Prof. Sung-Beom Lee

As the Director of the Hansen’s Disease Research Institute, Professor Lee studies the pathological mechanisms of leprosy and conducts drug discovery research for new anti-leprosy agents using Mycobacterium leprae-infected mesenchymal stem cell spheroids.

Prof. Seok-Woo Nam

Professor Nam has established an RNA genome database encompassing the entire spectrum of liver diseases, including precancerous lesions that lead to malignancy. His research explores the functional roles of liver cancer–driving genes, alternative splicing variants, RNA editing, and competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). In addition, he conducts translational studies using liver cancer animal models to validate clinical applications of his findings.

Prof. Soo-Young Kim

Professor Kim’s research focuses on alterations of proteoglycans under various pathological conditions such as infection, inflammation, and tumorigenesis.

Prof. Mi-Ra Cho

Professor Cho develops dual-targeting therapeutic agents that simultaneously regulate immune cells and fibroblasts by creating STAT6 transcription factor degraders for the treatment of severe systemic fibrotic diseases. She also studies the inflammatory mechanisms of IFNγ-producing tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells in transplantation and cancer, and conducts research on therapeutic technologies utilizing the mitochondrial microbiome.

Prof. Young-Kwang Kim

Professor Kim applies CRISPR-based genome-editing technology to identify key molecular factors involved in human disease pathogenesis through large-scale screening. Using AI-based structural prediction models, his research optimizes the function of gene-editing tools to develop next-generation genome-editing platforms and therapeutic applications for disease treatment.