On September 1, 2020, Professor Chang - ryul Kim of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescents from Hanyang University (HYU) Medical School, was awarded the “President’s Award” in recognition of his work on the analysis of national infant mortality as a consultant for Statistics Korea. He has been contributing to improve the medical statistics and national health indicators, especially in neonatology charging in many committees.

Q. Could you share your impression on winning the President’s Awards on the occasion of Statistics Day?

A. It is a great honor to be involved in the supplementary investigation team of the Statistics Korea analyzing the cause of infant death with the population trend. I would like to give my honor to HYU, The Korean Society of Neonatology, the Statistics Korea research team and advisory professors who have supported me.

Q. What inspired you to dive into medical statistics and what areas are you currently progressing on?

A. Statistics, a key to research, is followed by asking “Why?” and “How?” through every research in the field of science just the same as we do in our lives. Back in the United States, I took a medical statistics course during my fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Women & Infants Hospital (Brown University), and I could increase my interest in applying its methods to research data analysis realizing the need for its development. These days, I am very interested in measuring the fetus’s stress and researching its materials since there is no accurate measurement yet.

Q. In the case of medical statistics, it requires various experiences more than the knowledge of medicine. Considering this, what are the helpful practices that you usually cultivate?

A. In the field of science, there are several principles that I always keep in mind. Additionally, “Critical Thinking” is necessary in every aspect. In this way, we must always keep knowledge and analysis skills for statistics with the concern that it can be misused. Therefore, scientists must have the ability to examine the accuracy and reliability of statistical data through critical thinking.

Q. Do you have anything you wish to mention concerning your area of expertise?

A. To point out the barriers, due to its limited data age and uncertain provision of further research funds, it is hard to make accurate statistics and the research sometimes faces vulnerability to be stopped in a sudden. Therefore, long-term management is necessary. Another thing I’d like to mention is the KNN project that I am currently conducting. As mentioned earlier, it is also uncertain whether it can be conducted without any worries. Therefore, a system that can be utilized for the clinical treatment system and health policy should be arranged, encouraging continuous statistical analysis.

Q. Any final words for Hanyang University students?

A. “Dream” and “Love” are my two favorite words. I have always had a new “dream” for every transition by fulfilling that in my life, and it gave me happiness. We need to dream and be prepared for every opportunity that does not wait for us. Life is a journey starts from “B” (birth) to “D” (death). So, if you keep challenging yourself in a finite life, you would achieve your meaningful dream one by one. Another important thing in our life is “love”. I can find its essence in the relationship between the mother and the fetus, which is my field of study. Maternal love is the greatest love and the way of getting out of loneliness. In this regard, I could look for what true love means with the acronym “ACTUS” (action in Latin). Accept, Connect, Trust, Unconditional love, and Sacrifice. I sincerely hope everyone a beautiful life with full of dreams and love.