Introduction

The Ajou University School of Medicine (AUSOM) was established in 1988 and began with visions to teaching and cultivating medical students into medical physicians with competence and professionalism. The first class graduated in 1994 and thereafter about 40 new physicians emerged from AUSOM every year. At present, the 40 medical students in each year grade constitutes approximately 240 students in total are studying in AUSOM. As of 2020 faculty members numbered 290, such that the student to faculty ratio was an exceptional 1:1

Although our history is short AUSOM strives to attain leadership roles with respect to medical education. The initial initiative was established by Dean Sungnack Lee who conceived the concept of a department of medical humanities as a part of medical students’ curriculum for the very first time in the Republic of Korea, and at present medical humanities are incorporated in all Korean medical schools’ education.

In addition, AUSOM is orientated towards outcome based medical education, and this has been illustrated by the AUSOM accreditation of the government educational ministry as “BEST”. Furthermore, AUSOM has received medical school accreditation approval for the 4th straight year since 2019.

AUSOM afford a pleasant educational environment for medical students. In particular the medical school is located in very close proximity to the Ajou University Medical Center, and therefore has the advantage of effective linking between medical education and clinical clerkship.

Lecture room facilities are varied which are located in the 3 floors of the medical school building classrooms, lecture halls and anatomy classroom. A separate building which constitutes the Clinical Education Center is also close by. The Medical Information and Media Center provides information services related to medical informatics, and the medical school building also includes facilities that support medical education such as seminar rooms, reading rooms, study rooms, and a number of lecture rooms.

The main hospital building where the clinical clerkship takes place is a 1,200 bed hospital, with 5,000 patients daily in the outpatient department, so that a varied spectrum of diseases may be observed by the clerkship students.

The medical school has excellent research centers and departments, including the Science Research Center (SRC) and the Medical Research Center (MRC) which are large-scale government sponsored projects. The BK21+ is also a similar sponsored project that envisions cultivation of leaders in masters and doctorate programs. The university hospital also has been selected as a main governmental research institution that mediates as a major research hospital. Our ability to conduct such large-scale nationally funded programs is attributed to competent research personnel and faculty members, and this performance is attested by the high numbers of research papers published per faculty member.

The Ajou University School of Medicine is a young and dynamic institution that respects each individual’s hopes and dreams, and is a community that strives to contribute to our community by pursuing the above dreams.

Goal of Education

The Ajou School of Medicine aims to produce medical doctors with character and the capacity to bear the responsibility for Korean public health, and educate its students to become global leaders in various professional fields.

• Professionalis : medical doctors with responsibility, dignity, and a sense of morality required by society
• Competence : medical doctors with a wide range of medical knowledge and skills and the capacity to solve problems, which is essential to family doctors.
• Self-development : medical professionals who are devoted to developing themselves and learning for their lifetime.
• Leadership : medical professionals who play leading roles in various professional fields around the world.