Last December, Professor Shin Ju-young from the School of Pharmacy proved the safety of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination towards South Korean adolescent girls along with a doctoral student, Yoon Dong-won, and a postdoctoral research fellow, Lee Hyesung. The HPV vaccine is known to protect against the virus that causes cervical cancer, and it has been used worldwide since its development in 2006. Although the vaccination is free of charge in Korea for adolescent girls, many people avoid it as they worry about adverse reactions after the vaccination. To analyze the effects of the vaccination, the research team firstly selected a cohort design, which is to observe groups of individuals sharing certain characteristics for a follow-up period. Additionally, they also studied previous data of vaccinated girls whether they had adverse diseases to minimize the impact of uncontrolled variables derived from a cohort design. By using these methods, they found that the adverse effects of vaccinated groups are not related to vaccinations, unlike those of the unvaccinated groups. The study demonstrated safety by affirming no association between HPV vaccination and diseases. Prof. Shin mentioned, “This study will alleviate public concerns, and it will play an important role in reducing the risk of cervical cancer, leading to the improvement of public health.” The study was published in the British Medical Journal on January 29th.