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International Medical University (IMU) is the pioneer private medical university in the country.

The International Medical University began in 1992 as the International Medical College, or IMC, Malaysia’s first private medical college. IMC became a University in 1999, but the University has remained true to key elements of the IMC vision, which are to widen access to professional healthcare education, and to use innovative, integrated and student-centred means in providing that education.

This vision required strong links to be forged, from the outset, with reputable Partner Medical Schools committed to excellence and who share our educational philosophy. It was our progressive, systems based, integrated medical curriculum that first caught the imagination of our Partner Medical Schools, and today we collaborate with 26 such Schools in Australasia, North America, Ireland and the United Kingdom. We have a Partner Pharmacy School in Scotland and are establishing partnerships with some in Australia.

   

Since 1999 the University’s growth and development has been in developing clinical schools in Seremban and Batu Pahat, our own Honours degree courses in Pharmacy and Nursing, and in establishing research as a core activity, together with development of postgraduate research Masters and PhD programmes. We are already the preferred private school for medicine and pharmacy in Malaysia. Our growth has been supported by heavy investment in infrastructure development and expansion at Bukit Jalil and Seremban, and in the recruitment of staff of high calibre. In 2008-09 we will introduce Honours degree courses in Dentistry, Nutrition & Dietetics, Medical Biotechnology, Psychology, Biomedical Science and in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. In common with our MBBS, BPharm and BNursing, these new courses have been designed from first principles by our faculty. We believe our courses to be progressive and innovative, and we strive to use best practice in their delivery and assessment.

This year the University turns 16. We continue to seek to widen access to healthcare education, and to grow into a centre of healthcare educational excellence in the Asia-Pacific region.
   
History and Key Milestones
1992 13 March The International Medical College (IMC) was established in Kuala Lumpur by the then Minister of Education, YB Datuk Amar Dr Sulaiman Haji Daud. This is was the pioneering effort involving a private medical training institution representing a totally new concept of international partnership for the twenty-first century. Initially, the college had 5 Partner Universities:
  • University of Aberdeen
  • Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Liverpool
  • University of Dundee
November  Professor John S Beck from the University of Dundee was appointed the Foundation Dean of the IMC.
1993 29 November The pioneer batch of 75 students were enrolled in the medical programme.
1996 3 February The first convocation for the college was held in Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. The convocation was for medical students who would be furthering their studies to Partner Medical Schools abroad.
4 March A twinned pharmacy programme with University of Strathclyde, BSc (Hons) in Pharmacy, was launched.
1997 31 May The first convocation held in Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, for pharmacy students who would be furthering their studies to University of Strathclyde, Scotland.
1998 20 April IMC received an invitation from the then Minister of Education, YB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, to become a university.
July A Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programme was offered to replace the BSc (Hons) in Pharmacy. The MPharm is a newly introduced pharmacy qualification in the UK and replaces all BSc Pharmacy undergraduate courses as of October 1997. The MPharm is an undergraduate degree.

Pioneer class of medical students and pharmacy students graduated from the Partner Universities.

1999 4 February College was granted university status and became the International Medical University (IMU) thus providing an additional option to students to read the whole medical degree in Malaysia towards the MBBS (IMU).
21 August First convocation as a university, held at Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. At this convocation, the first Chancellor, YABhg Tun Mohamed Zahir was formally installed as first Chancellor.
20 September IMU Clinical School receives its first batch of 46 medical students.
2000 1 January The IMU moved to a new and larger campus in Sesama Centre, Plaza Komanwel, Bukit Jalil. The university occupies three floors of the building with a built-up space of about 205,000 sq ft.
2001 1 March Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman was appointed President of the IMU.
21 March The Medical Museum was opened by YBhg Datuk Dr Kamal Salih, Chairman of the Board of Governors in a ceremony held at the IMU campus in Bukit Jalil.
22 May IMU launched Medical Scholarships amounting to RM 1 million. Four scholarships are offered annually, each costing RM250,000. These would be offered for the September intake of each year.
July MBBS (IMU) earned accreditation from National Accreditation Board (LAN).
September University announces 2 IMU-University of Strathclyde Pharmacy Scholarships, each then valued at more than RM110,000.
2002 4 February University Day was officially launched, to commemorate the day IMC became IMU. At this launch, the IMU Song was performed and aired for the first time.
12 April The 10th Anniversary Celebrations was officially launched at a dinner at Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur. At the same event, the Strategic Plan for the next 10 years was launched. This plan charts out the activities for the second decade of development and direction of IMU as an organisation.
8 June The pioneer batch of 42 medical students graduated with MBBS (IMU) at Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur.
12 October IMU Cares was launched in conjunction with the first Charity Run that was held in the Bukit Jalil campus.
29 November IMU’s Alumni website (http://imu.org.my) was launched. This date was chosen as it coincides with the first IMC Student Registration Day.
2003 29 March IMU Clinical School in Batu Pahat was officially launched.
31 May YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Seri Chong Hon Nyan was officially installed as Pro-Chancellor of the University.
2004 15-16 March The Medical Education Colloquium organised by the IMU, was held at its campus in Bukit Jalil.
26 May A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IMU and Multimedia University to establish a Centre for Advanced Medical Multimedia Research (CAMMR). The main aim of this centre is to promote research in the fields of systems programming and multimedia as well as developing computer-aided teaching applications and learning materials in support of medical education.
21 July The pioneer batch of 75 students were enrolled in the local 4-year Bachelor of Pharmacy programme (BPharm). An inaugural white coat & pledge-making ceremony was held on this day for these students.
2005 28 February A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between IMU and Kobe University. The signing of the agreement formalises a collaborative arrangement between the two institutions in areas relating to exchange of faculty members and research staff, joint research activities, support of lectures, research workshops and symposia, exchange of information and academic publications, and exchange of students.
7 March Hospital Port Dickson was officially launched as IMU’s teaching hospital.
20 August YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr Sulaiman Haji Daud was officially installed as the second Chancellor of the University.
22 August A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between IMU and University of Strathclyde.
7 September The pioneer batch of 9 students were enrolled in the local 4-year Bachelor of Nursing programme (BNur).
2006 March The IMU achieved MS ISO 9001:2000 for the provision of tertiary education in medicine, Pharmacy & health sciences.
19 August The pioneer batch of 2 postgraduate students graduated with Master of Science (IMU) at Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
2007 14 March The Community & Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme was launched by the President of the IMU on University Day.
19 April The first International Medical Education Conference (IMEC-2007) was held at Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. More than 300 participants represented by Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, UK, Iran, Uzbekistan, Australia, Laos, Pakistan and New Zealand attended this event.
20 April The 15th Anniversary Celebrations was officially launched at a dinner at Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
2008 1 January YBhg Dato' Dr Lim Kee Jin was appointed as IMU's second Pro- Chancellor.
25 February The pioneer batch of 50 students was enrolled in the IMU dentistry programme.
15 April A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between IMU and Mawar Renal Medical Centre to provide quality healthcare services to patients.
23 April A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between IMU and Tung Shin Hospital. This agreement was signed to enable IMU students to do their clinical practice in Tung Shin Hospital. This is for the Chinese Medicine degree course that will be offered in IMU in the future.
24 May The pioneer batch of Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) students graduated at Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Another student graduated with her PhD at the same convocation ceremony.