Professor Lee Do-Youn of the College of Liberal Arts at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has been named for the first time to the “2026 World’s Top 2% Scientists” list, jointly announced by Stanford University and Elsevier. The “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list is compiled by Elsevier based on its Scopus database, which comprehensively analyzes researchers’ citation metrics and research achievements to select the top 2% of researchers with the highest research impact in each academic field.
 
Professor Lee Do-Youn has conducted a wide range of health and medical research, expanding her research scope from physical therapy and rehabilitation science to epidemiology and public health. In particular, she has accumulated research achievements on topics such as chronic diseases, major health risk factors, long-term changes in the burden of disease, and the effectiveness of rehabilitation therapy.
 
Recently, she has been analyzing trends in disease incidence, prevalence, and changes in the burden of mortality and disability using large-scale domestic and international health and medical data, and evaluating health disparities by age and gender. Furthermore, by synthesizing and evaluating scientific evidence on various health issues, he is conducting evidence-based health and medical research aimed at disease prevention, treatment, and health promotion.
 
This research is significant in that it identifies major health issues associated with an aging population and provides the empirical evidence necessary for establishing and improving effective health and medical policies. In particular, the results of analyses on the burden of disease and health disparities are expected to be utilized in health and medical policies and the field of rehabilitation therapy to promote public health and improve quality of life.
 
Professor Lee’s research is also aligned with “KMU VISION 2035: EDGE,” the mid- to long-term development strategy that Kookmin University is pursuing in celebration of its 80th anniversary. Under the vision of “a university that sets the standard for higher education,” Kookmin University is expanding convergence in the fields of education and research, as well as its contributions to society. Professor Lee’s research, which integrates physical therapy, rehabilitation science, epidemiology, and public health, is significant in that it demonstrates the potential to apply research outcomes to actual clinical settings and healthcare policy through interdisciplinary collaboration.
 
Professor Lee Do-Youn stated, “I am honored to have been selected as one of the world’s top 2% of researchers.” She added, “This selection is an achievement accomplished together with my domestic and international collaborators, and it is all the more meaningful as it contributes to Kookmin University’s growth into a world-class research-oriented university. I would also like to thank the university for its support, which has allowed me to devote myself to my research.”

She continued, “I will continue to devote myself to research and strive to ensure that my findings are applied in actual clinical settings and public health policies.”

△ Photo courtesy of Professor Lee Do-Youn, College of Liberal Arts, Kookmin University