Kaohsiung Medical University

The Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU; Chinese: 高雄醫學大學) is a private medical school in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Founded in 1954, it is the country's oldest private medical school. Kaohsiung Medical hosts MD, PhD, and master's degree programs in medicine and other sciences. It consists of eight academic colleges, including those dedicated to life sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, and dentistry. The university also houses seven affiliated teaching hospitals, such as Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital. History The university was founded on October 16, 1954, as Kaohsiung Medical College, in part due to the lack of a proper medical system in southern Taiwan. Its founder, Taiwanese physician Tu Tsung-ming, advocated the school's creation in order to alleviate a shortage of local doctors. The mayor of Kaohsiung, Chen Chi-chuan, donated twelve acres of land to provide the space for a campus. At the time of its establishment, the college was one of three medical schools in Taiwan, the other two being the National Taiwan University College of Medicine and the National Defense Medical University. The college hospital, the Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, was founded three years after the establishment of KMC in June 1957. Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital is the largest medical center in southern Taiwan and serves as a teaching hospital. In 1998, KMC, in agreement with the Kaohsiung Municipal Government, acquired an additional teaching hospital, the Hsiao-kang Hospital. The Kaohsiung Medical College was re-shaped into the Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) in August 1999 with the permission of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan. KMU was rated "superior" by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan in all categories of the "Mid-term School Administration Development Plan." Teaching As of October 2013, KMU has a student-faculty ratio of 13.1:1. The university offers 6 bachelor's, 10 master's and 5 doctoral degree programs. Up to NT$35 million of scholarships and student grants are offered each year. KMU is the only medical academic institution offering graduate-entry medical programs in Taiwan (the Faculty of Post-Bachelor's degree of Medicine), an admission system based on North American medical institutes. Research KMU is associated with eleven major research centers and networks, and is engaged in research partnerships with other universities, government and industry in Taiwan and other countries. The MedicoGenomic Research Center of Kaohsiung Medical University has successfully developed colorectal cancer diagnostic chip and determined molecular markers for tumors (including DNA and RNA markers) which can be used in the laboratory or clinical tests. The Functional Proteomics Research Center is performing systematic research on cellular proteins' types, functions, differences in expression, and modification after translation. The Chinese Herbal Medicine and New Drug Research Center is devising new drug models for herbal medicines and developing herbal prescriptions that meet international standards. Post-Baccalaureate/Bachelor Degree of Medicine Established in the spring of 1983, the program enrolls applicants with recognized undergraduate/bachelor's degrees. Admission into the program is based on a two-staged PBD Medicine Entrance Examination (consisting of a written exam and an interview), which takes place annually in May. Subjects of written examination include English, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics. Enrollment into the program is highly competitive with admission rate in 2011 approximately 4.3%. The faculty currently enrolls 261 students. Post-Bachelor's degree of Medicine is a four-year program. The program consists of two-year pre-clerkship (77 credits) and two-year clerkship. Pre-clerkship consists of 16 integrated blocks and problem-based learning (PBL). Individual and population health, ethical practices, and related issues are integrated into and emphasized, where appropriate, in all phases of the pre-clerkship. Each block consists of two semesters each with at least one mid-term written examination and ends with a final examination that concludes each semester of a block. Departments College of Medicine School of Medicine School of Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate/Post-Bachelor's degree of Medicine School of Sports Medicine School of Respiratory Care School of Renal Care Graduate Institute of Medicine Graduate Institute of Biochemistry Graduate Institute of Pharmacology Graduate Institute of Medical Genetics Graduate Institute of Physiology and Molecular Medicine College of Dentistry School of Dentistry School of Dental Hygiene Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences Graduate Institute of Oral Health Sciences College of Pharmacy School of Pharmacy School of Fragrance and Cosmetics Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Institute of Natural Products Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy College of Nursing School of Nursing Graduate Institute of Nursing Graduate Institute of Gender Studies College of Health Science School of Public Health Graduate Institute of Public Health Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health School of Medical Sociology and Social Work School of Psychology Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences School of Biomedical Laboratory Science School of Occupational Therapy School of Physical Therapy School of Medical Radiology School of Medical Information Management College of Life Sciences School of Medical and Applied Chemistry School of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology Department of Biotechnology Notable alumni Chang Po-ya (MD'68), Minister of Health (1990–1997), President of the Control Yuan (2014–2020), and founder of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Liao Kuo-tung (MD'82), member of the Legislative Yuan (2002–2024) Chen Yung-hsing (MD'75), member of the Legislative Yuan (1996–1999) Shih Chung-liang (MD'91), Minister of Health and Welfare Shen Meng-ru (MD'93), president of National Cheng Kung University Huang Chao-shun (Pharm'06), member of the Legislative Yuan (1993–2020) See also List of universities in Taiwan References External links KMU webpage Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital Webpage SCOPE KMU webpage Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine