Introduction

Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMFT), Romania

Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMFT) is a state university in the city of Timișoara, Romania. It was founded in 1944 and is the most important medical faculty in western Romania. UMFT is named after Victor Babes (1854–1926), a scientist who worked and studied here. He is credited with many discoveries in fields such as microbiology, obstetrics, and chemotherapy.

In 1986, after the drastic modification of the structure of Romanian institutions of clinical medical education and training, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy was formed at Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara. It started the first regular academic year with only four clinical departments. Today, more than 25,000 students have graduated from this faculty, including a fair number of foreign students worldwide.

One of the main goals of the Faculty of Medicine is to train competent and skilled MBBS students. This goal implies thorough knowledge of general medicine, one of the most difficult medical specialties, combining clinical aspects with fundamental research. Starting from these premises, all the subjects studied in MBBS are considered equally important: human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, histology and embryology, clinical medicine including clinical investigation techniques. The second goal is to form complex personalities able to face up to new challenges in today's world.

After its 10-year experience in training high-level specialists and with a constant concern for the quality of its academic life, our faculty has managed to gain an outstanding position at the national level as well as in international acclaim. Their students have stood out over time at international competitions such as WUSM (World University Service Medal), BUDAW (Bucharest University Contest), EMC (European Medical Contest), etc.

The Faculty of Medicine, unlike the other six faculties, encompasses both the theoretical and the practical parts of medicine. The curricula are equally split between learning activities linked to hospital care (clinical years) and lectures, grouped into theoretical courses that take place at the university building.

Traditional values meet new technologies, medical expertise, and a professional qualification that is recognized all around the world. The Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy is today a modern teaching hospital that operates within the advanced environment of the National Clinical Hospital Centre.