Kaohsiung Medical University

The Kaohsiung Medical University (Traditional Chinese:高雄醫學大學), originally known as "Kaohsiung Medical College", is a private university located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is considered to be the best research and education institution in the Kaohsiung area.

History
Kaohsiung Medical College was founded in 1954 by former Kaohsiung Mayor Frank C. Chen, who contributed land of Kaohsiung city to the college and Prof. Tu Tsung-ming who was Taiwan's first Doctor of Medicine. Once it opened its doors, the college was the first private institution of its kind in Southern Taiwan. The first college president, Prof. Tu, dedicated to promote the school in concert of his philosophy: "Joyfully embracing learning, putting research first", and "Resolutely striving for progress, encouraging study, and benefiting the world."

Kaohsiung Medical College was transformed into "Kaohsiung Medical University" in August 1999 with permission from the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, to respond to society's growing internationalization and to cope with the many new challenges of the times. The university also has won ratings of "superior" in all categories after evaluation under the Ministry of Education's "Mid-term School Administration Development Plan".

After three years school opened, the college hospital was founded in June 1957,now named the "Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University", and it has become southern Taiwan's largest medical center. Not only has it been training students and the facult but also providing the health safeguard of the region to achieve its three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service. In 1998, the college signed an agreement with the Kaohsiung Municipal Government, allowing it to assume control of Hsiao-kang Hospital, which has since then continued to provide medical treatment and community health services.

Teaching
The teacher-student ratio of 1:12 exceeds the criteria of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan. Because of private funds and subsidies from the government, the school can apply diverse programs of employment to recruit the most outstanding and distinguished scholars and teachers from Taiwan and abroad. Up to 35 million NT dollars for scholarships and student grants are available.

Research
Kaohsiung Medical University are also considered as the leading center of medicine in southern Taiwan, and have accumulated numerous well-qualified and highly-experienced researchers. They have four university-level research centers, six focal research centers, and 20 interdepartmental research teams containing research personnel specializing in different fields. Schools also promote interdisciplinary research, and encourage the integration of teams working on basic research and its clinical applications.

The "MedicoGenomic Research Center" of Kaohsiung Medical University has successfully developed colorectal cancer diagnostic chip colorectal cancer and determined molecular markers for tumor (including both DNA and RNA markers) which can be used either 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.

Departments
College of Medicine
 * School of Medicine
 * School of Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate
 * 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
 * School of Biotechnology