University of the Philippines Manila
Definition
The University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) is the health-sciences constituent university of the University of the Philippines System, located in the Ermita district of Manila. It occupies the site of the original UP campus founded in 1908 and is designated as the national center for the health sciences in the Philippines. Its academic core includes the College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, College of Pharmacy, and College of Dentistry, and it is the parent institution of the Philippine General Hospital.
Identities
| Source | Identifier |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Philippines_Manila |
| Wikidata | Q7896753 |
| DBpedia | http://dbpedia.org/resource/University_of_the_Philippines_Manila |
Also Known As
UP Manila is commonly abbreviated UPM and referred to as the “health campus” of the UP System. Historically it was known simply as the University of the Philippines before the administration moved to Diliman in 1949.
Examples and Analogies
UP Manila functions like the national counterpart of a university medical center such as Johns Hopkins in the United States—training doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and public health specialists while running a major charity hospital. Its College of Medicine, descending from the Philippine Medical School of 1905, is often compared to the country’s other top medical colleges but remains the only one attached to a national university.
Usage Scenarios
Students enter UPM through the UP College Admission Test for programs in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, allied medical professions, arts, and social sciences. Residents of Metro Manila use the Philippine General Hospital for subsidized tertiary care, while researchers use its National Institutes of Health for studies on tuberculosis, dengue, maternal health, and health policy.
Strategies
UP Manila concentrates on shortage-area health professions, community-based health training in underserved regions, and interprofessional education that mixes medicine, nursing, and public health students. Its faculty staff the Philippine General Hospital, linking training directly to public-service delivery.
Security and Safety Measures
Being adjacent to the Philippine General Hospital and United Nations Avenue, the campus maintains guarded gates, campus police coordination with the Manila Police District, and emergency-response tie-ins with hospital services. Student health and counseling services address the high-pressure professional programs.
Historical Context
The university traces its roots to the Philippine Medical School established in 1905, which became the nucleus of the University of the Philippines founded in 1908 along Padre Faura and Calle Herran. Most colleges relocated to Diliman after 1949, leaving Manila with the health sciences, and UP Manila was formally organized as a constituent university in 1983. It survived the destruction of World War II, when its buildings and the Philippine General Hospital were heavily damaged.
Challenges and Controversies
UP Manila faces chronic underfunding of the Philippine General Hospital, debates over tuition and socialized fees, and faculty recruitment competition with private hospitals and overseas employment. Its dense urban site limits expansion, and hospital congestion during health crises such as pandemics strains both services and instruction.
Related Topic
Philippine General Hospital is the largest public tertiary hospital in the country and UP Manila’s principal teaching hospital.