The departments of our institute operate as one. In addition to the Institute of Public Health, there are also the Department of Public Health and the Department of Medical Humanities and Education under the Department of Medicine. These two departments used to be integrated together as the Department of Public Health & Medical Humanities. Due to organizational changes, they have been functioning as separate departments since the 2021 academic year.

Founded in 1977, the Department of Public Health & Medical Humanities was previously known as the “Department of Social Medicine”. On August 1, 2006, the Department of Social Medicine was renamed the “Department of Public Health.” To better fit the course planning with the department name, it was renamed the “Department of Public Health & Medical Humanities” on January 1, 2013 and designated the task of teaching relevant courses in the Department of Medicine. As of September 2002, to emphasize humanities and ethics education in training for doctors and cultivate the concept of life-long learning, we started the Medical Humanities program to reinforce doctors’ professional ethics and the spirit of serving patients. The course content consists of two major domains: Medical Humanities and Society, and Public Health.

The Medical Humanities and Society domain emphasizes the concept of improving one’s character. It helps students explore and develop a humanitarian view while studying ethics and medical ethics, as required of modern students. It assists students in the process of becoming doctors by establishing standards of correct values and professional ethics. The program consists of 12 compulsory credits and 3 elective credits. The compulsory courses are unique to this department, and students must complete the minimum required number of credits. The goal of this domain is to cultivate humanitarian literacy to offer professional and humanized medical care so that, during the process of becoming doctors, medical students can develop correct values and professional ethics along with a broad level of systematic thinking and social responsibilities. This domain cultivates in medical students the respect, care, concern, and passion for life. This domain is now under the auspices of the Department of Medical Humanities and Education.

The Public Health domain analyzes factors affecting population health and social and environmental problems, including health care topics related to new technologies, systems, and social changes. It explores the roles of doctors and their connections with social environments. The course planning consists of 6 credits, all compulsory. The goal of this domain is to reinforce in the medical students the required social science training. We assist medical students in cultivating every aspect they need to become clinical physicians. We strengthen their knowledge, skills, and cognition in the context of care, and we cultivate in them the capability to care for the disadvantaged and understand topics related to health care. By teaching students in small classes, we expand their opportunities to choose different courses. We encourage them to participate in class and strengthen their problem-solving abilities, while providing them with an education in humanities, ethics, and medical ethics required of modern students. This domain is now under the auspices of the Department of Public Health.