SEOUL, KOREA - Cha Medical Group reported that, at the 70th American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting held at the Hawaii Convention Center, the second KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology was awarded to Carlos Simón Vallés, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Valencia, Spain, and Stanford University.
The KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology, which was awarded to its second recipient this year, was established in 2011 by ASRM, and named after Kwang-Yul Cha, a prominent doctor, scientist, and president of Cha Medical Group, in honor of his international contributions to stem cell and infertility research. The award is given to carefully selected researchers who initiate innovative research projects in stem cell technology. Carlos Simón Vallé, the recipient of the award this year, has conducted research in reproductive cells, including the mechanisms of embryo implantation, since 1991, and was honored as the most productive research scientist in the field in 2003 and 2005. He is currently conducting a research to explore the hypothesis that somatic cells can be reprogrammed into reproductive cells. Cha Medical Group and ASRM value his research highly, and have selected him as the 2014 recipient of the award.
The KY Cha Stem Cell Symposium was held on October 21st, a day before the award ceremony. Some of the world’s greatest scholars, including Professor Allan Spradling from the Carnegie Institution, Professor Kyle Orwig from the University of Pittsburgh, and Professor Hugh Taylor from Yale University, attended the symposium and presented the latest knowledge in stem cell research.
With over 10,000 members and as publisher of “Fertility and Sterility”, which is the most cited journal in the field, the ASRM is the world’s largest and most authoritative organization in the field of reproductive medicine. The ‘KY Cha Stem Cell Award’, which was established in 2011, is the first award named after an individual Asian scholar by the organization. This event was held Oct. 20~22 and was attended by over 8000 biomedical scientists from around the world.
Kwang-Yul Cha, the president of Cha Medical Group, is one of the world’s greatest experts in Reproductive endocrinology and infertility, receiving best paper and the second best paper awards seven times from the ASRM, as well as making a significant contribution to the field by founding the Pacific Rim Society for Fertility and Sterility. In addition, he has published over 200 journal articles and given over 230 lectures at major conferences. He has founded the Cha Gangnam Medical Center, the Cha Stem Cell Institute, Cha Biotech, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the Cha Fertility Center, Chaum, and the Cha Bio Complex in Pangyo. In 1999, he also founded the CC Infertility Center at the request of Columbia University, accomplishing Korea’s first export in the field of biomedicine. Currently, he is taking a leading role in increasing collaboration between research, the clinical field, and business, with the schools, institutes, and companies that he has founded.
- The KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology :
An award named after Kwang-Yul Cha, president of Cha Medical Group, by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine to honor his research achievements and contributions.
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) :
The world’s largest organization for reproductive medicine and stem cell research, with over 10,000 doctors and scientists worldwide, including those from North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, as its members. Publishing four major journals including “Fertility and Sterility” which is the most cited journal in the field, the ASRM is one of the most distinguished organizations, as recognized by doctors worldwide
By Lee Jae-seung(jasonlee@koreaittimes.com)
