The university was opened initially in Mingaladon in the outskirts of Yangon as Medical College 2, as an affiliated college of Yangon University on 15 July 1963. The college became Institute of Medicine 2, an independent university per the University Act of 1964. The Institutes of Medicine were transferred to the Ministry of Health from the Ministry of Education on 1 October 1973 and were supervised by the Department of Medical Education. The Department of Medical Education is now designated as the Department of Medical Sciences as the production of all categories of human resources for health come under its jurisdiction. The institute was moved to the present campus in North Okkalapa on 25 September 1996 and is now situated approximately 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Yangon.^[4]

In 1963, the 1000-bed Defence Services General Hospital^[5] was affiliated as the only teaching hospital of the institute. Affiliated hospitals include North Okkalapa General Hospital (since 1970), Insein General Hospital (since 1973), Thingangyun Model Hospital (since 1996), South Okkalapa Maternal and Child Hospital (since 1998), Mawlamyaing General Hospital in Mon State and Pathein General Hospital in Ayeyarwady Division (since 1997), among others.

In 1997, Field Training Centre for Community Medicine was established in Hlegu Township, which is about 13 miles from the campus and one of the townships of the Yangon Division.

As for the graduate medical training, although only 50 students were accepted each year initially number of uptakes has been increased gradually over the subsequent years. Since the end of the year 2000, the university has been accepting around 500 uptakes every year.

Postgraduate studies for master's degrees in Anatomy and Physiology started in 1973. Currently, the university has been conducting 6 Diploma courses, 19 Master's degree courses, 26 Doctor of Medical Science courses for clinical disciplines, and 8 Ph.D. courses in Basic Medical Science.

Since 1963, UM-2 has been headed by an academic dean known as a rector. Past rectors include:^[6]

1. 1963–1967: Ko Ko Gyi
2. 1967–1973: U E
3. 1973–1982: Khin Maung Nyein
4. 1982–1987: Tin Aung Swe
5. 1987–1989: Myo Thwe
6. 1989–1992: Ko Lay
7. 1992–2004: Tha Hla Shwe
8. 2004–2007: Than Nu Shwe
9. 2008–2014: Tint Swe Latt
10. 2014–2015: Zaw Wai Soe
11. 2015–2017: Aye Aung
12. 2017–2021: Aye Tun

University of Medicine - 2 Students' Union was founded in 2015 by twelve students. The main purpose of the Students' Union is to represent the students within the institution. The Students' Union takes part in the administrative affairs of the university, academic affairs, and student affairs as well as political movements.

The University of Medicine 2, Yangon is one of the most selective schools in the nation as the medical schools continue to be the top choice amongst top students in Myanmar.The students who want the admission to this school must make sure that they are in top 0.02% of the total exam candidates in college entrance exam of the year. The school admits about 300 students per year based on their Basic Education High School (college entrance) exam scores and their regions.

The university is one of three civil universities and one medical academy in Myanmar that offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees.^[2]

• Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery M.B., B.S.
• Diploma in Medical Science (Dip.Med.Sc.)
• Master of Medical Science (M.Med.Sc.)
• Doctor of Medical Science (Dr.Med.Sc.)
• Ph.D

Integrated curriculum edit

Old curriculum edit

Integrated curriculum edit

Foundation Year edit

• 1st semester

Language 1 - Myanmar

Language 2 - English

Scince 1 - Zoology and Botany

Science 2 - Mathematics & statistics and Physics

Science 3 - Chemistry

• 2nd Semester

Structural Principle - Anatomy

Functional Principle - Physiology

Molecular Principle - Biochemistry

Principle of Disease Mechanism - Pathology

Principle of Medical Microbiology - Microbiology

Principle of Drug Therapy - Pharmacology

Pre-Clinical Years edit

Medical Year 1 (System Modules) edit

Horizontal Modules

• Module 1 - Musculoskeletal and Skin (MSS)
• Module 2 - Medical Genetics (GEN)
• Module 3 - Cardiovasular System (CVS)
• Module 4 - Respiratory System (RES)
• Module 5 - Gastrointestinal, Liver and Nutrition (GLN)

Medical Year 2 (System Modules) edit

Horizontal Modules

• Module 1 - Hematology (HEM)
• Module 2 - Immunology (GEN)
• Module 3 - Endocrinology (END)
• Module 4 -Renal and Reproductive System (RNR)
• Module 5 - Neurology and Mental Health (NNM)

Vertical Modules

• Clinical Skill Management (CSM)
• Community and Family Health (CFH)
• Research and Culture Skills (RCS)
• Ethics and Professionalism (ENP)
• Social and Behavioral Science (SBS)

Clinical Years edit

Medical Year 3 (Junior Clerkship) edit

• General Medicine - Infectious diseases, Radiology, Dermatology , EENT
• General Surgery - Orthopedics, Rehabilitation, Forensic
• 4-week Elective

Medical Year 4 (Speciality Clerkship) edit

• Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry
• Medicine, Geriatrics, Palliative Care, Surgery, Emergency medicine, Anaesthesia, Forensics
• 4-week Residential Field Trip (RFT)

Medical Year 5 (Senior Clerkship) edit

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Pediatrics
• 4-week Student Selected Component (SSC)

Traditional curriculum edit

First year M.B., B.S edit

• Myanmar
• English
• Mathematics & statistics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Zoology
• Botany

Second year M.B., B.S edit

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biochemistry

Third year M.B., B.S edit

• General pathology
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology

Students are also posted for 18 weeks each to the medical and surgical wards for clinical training. Exam Marks from the clinical postings are not used in this year. They will be added to the final exam of the final year as “classwork”.

Final year (Part I) edit

• Forensic Medicine (with two days a week morgue posting for teaching during post-mortem examination of real cases in North Okkalapa General Hospital)
• Preventive and Social Medicine (with three weeks residential field training in the rural areas and one month of PSM posting which includes healthcare surveying of newly created urban areas and some community care units)
• Systemic Pathology and Hematology

Students attend lectures & clinics in Medicine, Surgery, Child Health, Obstetrics & gynecology, and are posted to the various teaching hospitals, including Urban Health facilities as part of Preventive and Social Medicine teaching.

Final year (Part II) edit

Distinguished into 2 parts : Pre-bloc posting and bloc posting

In pre-bloc posting, students are posted to different specialities for overall 4 months in different hospitals. After each posting, students must take multiple choice questions of each subjects.

• Ophthalmology
• ENT
• Anesthesia
• Radiology
• Dermatology
• Infectious medicine
• Psychiatry

In Bloc- posting, students are trained intensively in major speciality through lectures, seminars, presentation, clinical and theory integration and with real patients. Each posting lasts for 3 months and at the end of each posting, students have to take completion tests which composed as written and bedside exam with real patients. Written exam has multiple choice questions and multiple short questions. Bedside exam has at least 3 patients and students have to take OSCE type exams.

• Pediatrics
• Medicine
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Surgery

Final Exam of the final year edit

Students have to take 2 parts of exam, written and bedside exam. There are about 3 weeks between these two parts. Written exam lasts for 8 days because each subject has 2 paper of questions as follows.

• Medicine paper 1
• Medicine paper 2
• Surgery paper 1
• Surgery paper 2
• Paediatrics paper 1
• Paediatrics paper 2
• Obstetrics paper
• Gynaecology paper

Bedside exam lasts for 4 days and students are differentiated into 4 groups and they have to take on different days of each subjects. Each table has two examiners, one from own university and another from other universities of medicine in Myanmar. The university use real patients from teaching hospitals. So, the students are banned from teaching hospitals at least one month before the exam to prevent foreknowledge of cases of the patients who are in potential situation to be placed in the exam.

• Medicine bedside exam has

-Imaging section

-Clinical Case section

-OSCE table

-OSCE + history Table

-Communication Table

• Surgery bedside exam has

-Imaging section

-Photo section

-History table

-Physical Examination table

• Paediatrics bedside exam has

-Photo section

-Case section

-OSCE section 1

-OSCE section 2

-History section

• Obstetrics and Gynaecology bedside exam has

-O1 table (History and physical examination of pregnant women or post-partum women)

-O2 table with simulators (Usage of obstetrics instruments such as forceps, Vacuum, And surgical instruments used in LSCS)

-G1 table (History and physical examination of women with gynaecological disease)

-G2 table with instruments used in gynaecology cases such as E&C vacuum or communication table.

The results are usually out in the evening of the final day of the exam. And the students can be addressed as "Doctors" if they pass the exam. So most of them are students who was taking the exam in the morning and became doctors in the evening.

Internship edit

All students, after successful completion of the Final Part II examination, are continued to train hands-on for a period of one year as house surgeons in the recognized Teaching Hospitals in Yangon. Training periods are:

Only after completion of house-surgeonship M.B., B.S. Degree is offered to the students. Before 1997, the degree was conferred upon completion of the second part of the final year.

Heads of Departments edit

Department of Chemistry - Daw Ei Ei Khine

Department of Physics - Daw Khin Moh Moh Khaing

Department of Botany - Daw Khin May Myint

Department of Zoology - U Soe Naing

Department of English - Daw Tin Hnin Aung

Department of Burmese - Daw Nan Thaung

Department of Mathematics - Daw Aye Thandar Swe

Department of Anatomy - Prof. Thitsar Aye Maung Than

Department of Physiology - Prof. Mya Thandar Sein

Department of Biochemistry - Prof. Myat Mon Khine

Department of Microbiology - Prof. Mon Mon

Department of Pathology - Prof. Nyo Me May Thyn

Department of Pharmacology - Prof. Myat Myat Soe

Department of Forensic Medicine- Prof. Zaw Zaw Oo

Department of Preventive & Social Medicine - Prof. Pa Pa Soe

Department of Medicine - Prof. Nyo Nyo Wah

Department of Surgery - Prof. Moe Myint

Department of OG - Prof. Khin May Thin

Department of Paediatrics - Prof. Tin Moe Phyu

Teaching Hospitals edit

• North okkalapa General Hospital
• Thingangyun Sanpya General Hospital
• Insein General Hospital
• Yankin Children Hospital
• Ywarthargyi Psychiatric Hospital

• Cynthia Maung
• Ni Ni Khin Zaw
• Chit Thu Wai
• Aye Zan

• List of universities in Myanmar
• Medical Universities (Myanmar)

• IM-2 alumni website
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AaWwe9-q-s