The Second Military Medical University (SMMU), formerly the People's Medical College of the East China Military Commanding Region, was founded in September 1949, and named in July 1951. Now it is the CPLA key institution of higher learning for training graduates and the key university supported by the state "Project 211".
The SMMU is composed of five major leading bodies: the Training Department, the Political Department, the School Affairs Department, the Scientific Research Department and the Graduate School; twelve subordinate establishments: the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, the Department of Naval Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, the Department of Health & Hygiene Services, the Department of Nursing Science, the Department of Foreign Training, the Graduates Management Brigade, the Cadet Brigade, Changhai Hospital, Changzheng Hospital, Hepatobiliary Eastern Hospital and Nanjing School of Military Medicine.
There are over 10 specialities or disciplinary orientations covering the full spectrum of clinical medicine, naval clinical medicine, pharmacy, nursing science, anesthesiology, public utility management, psychiatry and mental health, medical laboratory technology, medical laboratory testing and medical imaging technology. It is the unique medicine training base of overseas students, The University has a professional staff of over 10,000, including 776 holding full senior professional titles, two members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, four members on the Discipline Evaluation Team of the State Council, 13 young and mid-aged national prestigious experts,104 foreign visiting professors,28 members undertaking the director of international scholarship organization,245 experts enjoying the state special allowance, 377 Master graduate tutors and 134 Ph.D. graduate tutors. There are over 5,800 graduating students including 371 graduates for Ph.D. and 744 for M.D.
The University possesses 5 post-doctoral mobile stations covering biology, basic medical sciences, clinical medicine, public health and preventive medicine, and pharmacy; 3 Grade I and 45 Grade II and III branches of learning entitled to offering Ph.D. degree; 7 key subjects of "Project 211" including physiology, medical genetics, nautical medicine, hepatobiliary surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, field surgery, and pharmaceutical chemistry; 3 CPLA key branches of learning and laboratories for training medical graduates; 5 key branches of learning as leading medical specialties in Shanghai; 5 CPLA medical research institutes; 10 CPLA special medical centers; and 9 CPLA key medical laboratories.
During the 9th “Five-year Plan” Period, the University undertook 639 research projects of national, ministerial or provincial levels, the buget amounting to 11338.9 thousand RMB. Among them, 301 research projects were granted by the National Natural Science Fund of China, ranking first in national medical colleges and universities and the 12th in all colleges and universities. Professor CAO Xuetao, working as the chief scientist, received grants from the National Key Basic Research Development Program ("973" Project) . Since 1978, the University has undertaken more than 1,574 research projects of national, ministerial or provincial levels, occupying a front position in national medical colleges and universities.
The university has a very good teaching environment. It is located in the northeast of Shanghai, one of the cultural, educational and trade centers of the city, adjacent to Fudan University and Tongji University, and covers an area of nearly 110 hectares. The premises have a total floor space of over 670,000 square meters, including a complex of modern teaching buildings, a library, an experiment building and teaching hospitals of the first rate in China. The library covers an area over 11,000 square meters with a collection of over 500 thousand book volumes. The University and its hospitals are equipped with MRI, CT, ECT, transmission electronic microscope, AAS, laser live cell analyzer, full-automatic biochemistry apparatus, DNA sequenator and organic synthesizer. The modern teaching and medical equipment amounts to 21,908 sets, totaling 7.67 billion RMB.
International academic exchange of the University is extensive and fruitful. Sending visiting scholars abroad and attending international conferences are annual routine work of the University. It has established exchange and cooperative relationships with more than 34 countries and regions by sponsoring many large and important international symposia, inviting foreign scholars to give lectures, conducting cooperative research and organizing training programs for overseas students.