Promoting Health Security: Potential, Role, and Future Directions of a Medical University

Taipei Medical University (TMU) healthcare system has a very significant role in the development and promotion of healthcare services across Taiwan, serving the nation since its inception in 1960, and we believe it can play an important role in health security as well. Currently, TMU has 10 colleges dealing with various fields of healthcare sciences, catering to more than 6,000 students—including more than 500 international students, principally from less-fortunate countries across the developing world. TMU has 5 affiliated hospitals, 1 of which is in Mainland China. In total, TMU has more than 6,500 faculty and staff across the university and hospital systems, including more than 1,000 in academia and research. TMU leadership embraces corporate social responsibility, an important enterprise practice, and has approached social responsibility from 4 distinct dimensions: environmental efforts, ethical employee practices, volunteering, and philanthropy. As part of its social responsibility efforts, TMU encourages volunteering services through students’ service learning, offers adequate scholarship opportunities to economically disadvantaged students, and provides medical services to underserved areas in Taiwan. In addition to domestic efforts, TMU plays a pivotal role in supporting health security internationally. TMU has ongoing programs in São Tomé and Prı́ncipe, Swaziland, and the Marshall Islands for the provision of various public health and healthcare services, health promotion, and research: