Yunhwan Park, a master's student in the College of Medicine at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (advisor Professor Jin Park, Department of Dermatology), won an Excellent Oral Presentation Award at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Korean Society for Dermatophytes and Infections in 2025.

At the conference, researcher Yunhwan Park presented 'Exploration and Control of Cross-Infection Potential through Bacterial Microbiome Analysis of Skin-Contact Medical Devices' and received high praise.

This study precisely characterized the bacterial ecology of skin-contact medical devices (e.g., dermatoscopes, blood pressure cuffs), which have been overlooked as potential vectors of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). It combined next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based microbiome analysis with culture studies.

The results demonstrated that these devices can act not only as repositories of commensal skin bacteria but also as reservoirs and transmission vectors for pathogenic bacteria. The research team noted clear differences in bacterial composition according to the ecological characteristics of the skin sites contacted by each device (sebaceous, moist, dry). In some devices, potential pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus were detected.

This study is the first in the country to comprehensively present bacterial microbiome profiles for seven types of skin-contact medical devices. It is significant in that it provides scientific evidence to support cross-infection management and improvements to disinfection protocols for noninvasive devices.

Currently, Professor Jin Park's research team is collaborating with Professor Se‑Yeon Moon's team in the College of Engineering, JBNU, and Plasmaze Co., Ltd. to develop plasma-based technology for controlling medical device cross-infection based on these findings.

Researcher Yunhwan Park said, "We confirmed that noninvasive medical devices can also be potential reservoirs for cross-infection. I hope to contribute to the development of infection control solutions that can be applied in clinical settings through future skin microbiome research."

Meanwhile, Kim So‑Yeon, a doctoral student from the same laboratory, also won a Best Poster Award at the meeting for a collaborative study with the Department of Systems Biotechnology at Chung‑Ang University titled 'Comparative Microbiome Study of Scalp and Follicular Depths in Healthy Koreans and Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia,' further demonstrating the research capabilities of the JBNU Skin Microbiome Laboratory.