History

The University of Medicine, Tirana was established on January 23, 2013, by the Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 48, "For the establishment of the University of Medicine, Tirana (UMT)." The creation of the University came as a result of fundamental changes in the structures of public higher education institutions in Albania. The promotion of the Faculty of Medicine into a public university and the establishment of the University of Medicine, Tirana, was an essential necessity for the professional preparation of medical staff in Albania, to interpret and guide the fundamental transformations and developments of the time, while ensuring the processing, innovation, transfer, and evaluation of knowledge to the advantage of the individual and society. This initiative was driven not only by the demands of the time for the further development of Albanian education and medicine, but also by the desire to build a quality educational institution that offers an alternative and contemporary education model, different from the existing traditional models.

The University of Medicine, Tirana presents a new image and responds to the essential need of Albanian medicine for better management of teaching and the centralization of medical studies within a single, integrated academic unit. This public University represents the combination of theoretical and scientific studies delivered by distinguished professors with long-standing experience, together with the practical application of this knowledge in the country’s University Hospital Centers.

The teaching tradition and professional experience of our distinguished professors represent the most valuable legacy that the University of Medicine, Tirana has carried forward over the years. Graduates of the University of Medicine, Tirana are professionally competent and well-equipped to respond to the complex and evolving needs of the Albanian healthcare system. To this end, the University’s two foundational pillars and comprehensive theoretical instruction and strong clinical and pre-clinical practical training, are closely integrated, ensuring that our students are optimally prepared for the future of our students. The University of Medicine, Tirana was not established solely as a bastion of academic thought in medical studies. Rather, this University aims to maintain a clear focus on national and nationwide developments in healthcare and shared well-being in order to be closer to the ongoing needs of the patient, not only as a higher education institution, but also as an institution that primarily prepares specialists across all areas of medicine and to continue to foster the necessary conditions for its students to engage in ongoing scientific research that contributes to building a healthier society.

With the establishment of UMT, its structure brought together the Faculty of Medicine and the former Faculty of Nursing, which were separated from the long-standing structure of the University of Tirana and became integral parts of the five main units of this university, which were organized, respectively, into five faculties: the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Dental Medicine, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences.

In 2016, the University of Medicine, Tirana underwent a reorganization, being structured into three main units: Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Faculty of Medical Technical Sciences and in this form it continues to function today.