The Kaohsiung Medical College was established in 1954, under the impetus of Dr. Tu Tsung-ming, the Director of the National Taiwan University Medical School, who was concerned at the lack of medical facilities in southern Taiwan.
分析高醫成功的原因，行政副院長江金培說：「這是由於高醫人都有一股牛般的精神，肯於腳踏實地、埋頭苦幹。」穩定中求成長高雄醫學院成立於民國四十三年。當時，台大醫學院院長杜聰明博士，有鑑於南部地區醫師缺乏，極力倡導在高雄設立醫學院。