The newly opened Jane and Neil Pappalardo Medical Center, or the KAIST Clinic, provided the annual health checkups this year, replacing the previously outsourced staff and equipment. The health checkups for this year were thus organized and executed much more efficiently. Built to serve the KAIST family, it primarily functions as a small-sized clinical hospital and not as a research hospital, unlike most university hospitals.

The KAIST Clinic opened on May 17 this year. It boasts state-of-the-art medical equipment, highly qualified personnel, and training and is specifically tailored to suit the needs of the KAIST population. Costing 8 billion won in addition to the 2.5 million dollars donated by Neil Pappalardo, it stands three stories tall over an area of 3600 square meters. Unlike the KI Building and the Lyu Keun-Chul Sports Complex, the KAIST Clinic was largely unknown to the general student body even several months after its inaugural ceremony. This institute made its official debut by conducting the annual health checkups.

Working closely with Asan Medical Center, some of the staff conducting health checkups was from this hospital. Furthermore, should there be a need for emergency medical treatment, a hotline was formed so that the patient could be transported to Asan Medical Center immediately. Furthermore, additional tests for Hepatittis A, anti-nuclear, as well as Rubella antibodies have been implemented. Moreover, in light of the H1N1 panic of 2009, vaccinations against influenza are also available at a low cost.

Neil Pappalardo, the major contributor for the new clinic, is an MIT-educated scholar and businessman. He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Medical Information Technology (Meditech), a leading supplier of information system software for hospitals around the world. Pappalardo has been on the President’s Advisory Council (PAC) of KAIST since 2006, serving as the Chairman.