Founded as a nursing high school in 1968 in one of the largest cities in western Iran, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences progressed to be a college of medicine in 1975 and then a university as part of the structural reforms of 1985.
Billing itself as a "Knowledge Hub in the Context of History" it oversees healthcare training and education across the Kermanshah province.
It champions core values of collaboration, diversity, ethical community, excellence, learning and opportunity. It has grown steadily with the addition of faculties of nursing and midwifery in 1987, public health in 1997, pharmacy in 2002, and dentistry and allied medical sciences in 2008. In 2016 it enrolled 4,798 students including 863 postgraduates.
Medical specialisms on offer have grown from the first – anaesthesiology, in 1991 – to a current offer of 114 options, while the public health faculty offers 10 different degree courses. It is one of three Iranian hospitals involved in a "telemedicine" project enabling remote diagnosis by doctors. Notable research projects have focused on "Nurse Intuition" in critical care diagnosis and the possible use of yoga in treating multiple sclerosis.
The healthcare and training network extends across 24 hospitals, seven in Kermanshah and the rest spread across the province. Among these the Imam Reza Teaching and Treatment centre has a 36-bed dialysis ward while cardiovascular surgery and cardiology are provided by Imam Ali hospital.
An agreement was concluded in 2019 to build a health technology campus in the province, and the first heart transplant is likely to be completed in 2019 or 2020. A delegation from the university visited Iraqi Kurdistan in April 2019 to discuss common needs and issues.
