Welcome to the 2023 KSEA West Gulf Coast Regional Conference.

On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to welcome you to the 17th annual Korean-American Bio-Medical Symposium (KABMS)/KSEA West Gulf Coast Regional Conference on Saturday, December 9 th, 2023, in Houston, Texas.

Building on the success of previous meetings, this year's conference has brought together a diverse array of speakers from universities, medical institutes, and industry to share ideas and offer new perspectives on a wide range of medical science, engineering, and technologies. Our distinguished keynote speaker is Dr. John P. Cooke, a physician and scientist known for his contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine and research. Dr. Cooke's research program is focused on vascular regeneration, vascular cell identity, and cell fate. He has also served on national and international committees dealing with cardiovascular diseases, including the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Society for Vascular Medicine, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

We have scheduled faculty presentations and trainee poster sessions to encourage as many researchers as possible to share their research interests. Each trainee's poster presentation will be evaluated by our committee members, and real prizes will be awarded to trainees. We will also invite representatives for career development to provide insights into social networking and how to use LinkedIn. In addition to the academic and career programs, we have organized various social activities and networking opportunities, providing you with the chance to connect with peers, make new friends and colleagues, and forge lasting professional relationships.

The program has already been shaped to be excellent, and we hope you will all join us for this fun day of science and networking.

2023 KSEA West Gulf Coast Regional Conference Chair

Hyuntaek Oh, Ph.D.

Vice President Biomedical, KSEA
Research Scientist, The Menninger Clinic
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine