Kaohsiung Medical University (originally known as Kaohsiung Medical College ) was formally established in 1954. Apart from being the first private medical university in , the university has also become an important cradle for highly-skilled physicians and medical-related specialists. Kaohsiung Medical University was a center of both medical care and the study of local tropical medicine in the early days. The colleges set aside its tropical disease research mission after the World Health Organization announced that was no longer a tropical disease endemic area, and turned its full attention to the steadily evolving areas of basic medical science and clinical medical research. The university has also continued to strengthen its medical services. Originally known as " Kaohsiung Medical College ", Kaohsiung Medical University was founded in 1954 by former Kaohsiung Mayor Frank C. Chuan, who donated land for the college site and Prof. Tu Tsung Ming, 's first Doctor of Medicine. Located in Kaohsiung, southern 's urban heart, the college is the first private institution. Prof. Tu, the first college president, built up the school in line with his philosophy of "Enjoying learning, Prioritizing Research", and "Resolutely striving for progress, encouraging study, and contributing to the world." Thanks to the efforts of his high-minded and hard-working colleagues, Prof. Tu transformed Kaohsiung Medical College into a major center for medical sciences in Southern Taiwan . The college hospital was founded in June 1957. Currently " Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital " has become southern 's largest medical center, safeguarding the health of the region's residents while fulfilling its three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service.