Babol University of Medical Sciences

Babol University of Medical Sciences (MUBabol) (Persian: دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بابل, Danushgah-e 'lum-e Pezeshki-ye Babel) is a medical sciences university in the city of Babol, Mazandaran Province, Iran.

The university was founded in 1985, and the first group of students beginning their studies in 1986. The university operates seven hospitals.

History

Babol University of Medical Sciences traces its origins to a school for laboratory technicians established in 1962. In 1983, as part of national efforts to expand higher education and medical training, the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education sent a medical advisory delegation to Mazandaran Province. The delegation approved the establishment of a medical sciences centre in the region. The institution was subsequently elevated to university status in 1985. Its first cohort of medical students was admitted in early 1986 through Iran's national university entrance examination, marking the beginning of its formal medical education activities. Over the following years, medical sciences schools were also established in Rasht, Sari, and Gorgan as medical education expanded across northern Iran. Following the establishment of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the transfer of medical education from the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, the central administration of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences was initially based in Babol. After the central administration was later transferred to Sari, Babol University of Medical Sciences became administratively independent in 1991. Following its independence, the university expanded its educational and clinical infrastructure and established additional schools, teaching hospitals, and research centres. New undergraduate and postgraduate programs were introduced across medical, dental, pharmaceutical, nursing, rehabilitation, public health, and related health sciences. The university also developed specialized clinical and research facilities to support medical education, patient care, and biomedical research in the region.

Schools

School of Medicine

The School of Medicine provides education and training in clinical and basic medical sciences at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Its programs include the M.D. degree, specialty and subspecialty residency training, fellowship programs, as well as M.Sc., MPH, and Ph.D. programs in the basic sciences. Clinical education is conducted through several affiliated teaching hospitals and medical centres, including Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Shahid Yahyanejad Hospital, Amirkola Children's Hospital, Shahid Rajaee Radiotherapy Center, and Fatemeh Al-Zahra Infertility and Reproductive Health Center. The school's basic science departments cover areas such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, clinical biochemistry, medical physics, immunology, genetics, microbiology, and medical biotechnology. Its clinical departments span major medical specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, radiology, pathology, ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopedics, urology, anesthesiology, infectious diseases, and radiation oncology.

School of Dentistry

The School of Dentistry is located in the southern part of Babol, west of the main campus of Babol University of Medical Sciences. It began its academic activities in 1993 with the establishment of the general dentistry program, and its first cohort graduated in 1998. The school also offered associate-level dental nursing programs during several academic years and introduced a program in oral and dental health in 2007. Postgraduate specialty training began with periodontics in 2007, followed by programs in radiology, restorative dentistry, and endodontics in 2008. The school has subsequently expanded its postgraduate education to include the full range of recognized dental specialties.

School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy provides education and training in pharmaceutical sciences, combining theoretical coursework with practical and clinical experience. Its programs prepare students for work in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and the pharmaceutical industry. Research activities are supported through units including the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, with work spanning different areas of pharmaceutical science. Clinical training is also carried out through the university's affiliated teaching hospitals, including Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital and Shahid Beheshti Hospital.

School of Traditional Medicine

The development of traditional medicine at Babol University of Medical Sciences began in 2008 with the establishment of a dedicated library, a medicinal plants garden, and the Secretariat of Traditional Medicine. Formal efforts to establish an academic department began in 2010, and groups in traditional medicine and the history of medicine were formed in 2011. The university subsequently collaborated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences in the field of traditional pharmacy. Approval in principle for the establishment of the School of Traditional Medicine was granted in 2012. The school later introduced Ph.D. training in traditional medicine and, from 2014, a master's program in the history of medical sciences.

Research centres

The Health Research Institute of Babol University of Medical Sciences was established in 2016. It coordinates a number of research centres across different biomedical and health-related fields.

The research centres include:

Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center

The Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center conducts research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying prevalent diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and inherited disorders such as thalassemia and cystic fibrosis. Its research areas include genomics and proteomics, stem-cell biology and cell therapy, mechanisms of drug action, and the biological effects of medicinal plants. The center also investigates pharmaceutical nanostructures through both in vitro and in vivo studies, with particular emphasis on diseases of regional and public-health importance.

Non-Communicable Pediatric Disease Research Center

The Non-Communicable Pediatric Disease Research Center focuses on research related to common and clinically important conditions affecting infants and children. Its research areas include developmental disorders, urinary tract infections, neonatal jaundice, diabetes and other metabolic disorders, Kawasaki disease, thalassemia, and pediatric poisoning. The center also conducts studies on the prevention and treatment of asthma and allergic diseases, as well as child growth and developmental outcomes.

Infertility and Health Reproductive Research Center

The Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center conducts research on female and male infertility, with particular emphasis on endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), recurrent pregnancy loss, and poor ovarian response. Its activities include epidemiological, hormonal, genetic, molecular, laboratory, and imaging studies, as well as the development of clinical databases and biological sample banks for reproductive disorders. The center also investigates infertility treatments, environmental and nutritional factors affecting fertility, interactions between conventional and traditional medicines, and experimental approaches involving stem cells and pregnancy-related genes in sperm and oocytes.

Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center

The Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center focuses on the epidemiology, prevention, and control of bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections. Its research includes antimicrobial resistance, molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, hospital-acquired infections, and the identification of bacterial strains associated with common infectious diseases. The center also investigates the prevalence of parasitic and fungal diseases, brucellosis, respiratory viral infections, and blood-borne viral infections including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and Epstein–Barr virus.

International journals

Babol University of Medical Sciences is affiliated with a number of academic journals in medical and health-related fields.

Teaching hospitals

Babol University of Medical Sciences operates seven teaching hospitals that provide clinical services and support medical education and training. The affiliated hospitals include:

Rankings

Babol University of Medical Sciences has appeared in several international university ranking systems.

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