All the university successive leaders, as well as experts and professors, have always been attaching a great importance to keeping the university's good tradition of " Meticulous Scholarship ". At present, holding the office of the President of the university is Dr. Yao Tai, Professor of Physiology. 
  
Since its establishment the university has turned out nearly 30,000 graduates and some 20,000 trainees in advanced studies, who can be found all over the country and in many foreign countries as well. Numerous graduates have become pillars of the society and among them are thirty academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering. 
  
The university comprises now ten schools with ninety-six departments, twenty-two research institutes, sixteen research centers, four WHO collaborating centers, two teaching and training centers and one affiliated nursing school. The university offers seven specialties for undergraduate studies, thirty Master's programs, forty-four doctoral programs and seven postdoctoral research programs. In addition, the university is also a national base for training basic scientific and teaching personnel, having thirteen key subjects accredited by the State Education Commission, four key subjects accredited by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and eight leading medical specialties of Shanghai Municipality. There are seven hospitals affiliated to the university, with nearly 4,000 beds, treating 3,600,000 out-patients and 60,000 in-patients annually. Besides, there are also five teaching hospitals. 
  
The university has a staff of 9,000 personnel, among whom are 1,300 professors and associate professors, 2 academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and 3 academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 171 supervisors of doctorate candidates and 347 tutors of Master's program students. Some 5,000 full-time students study in the university, including 1,000 postgraduates and 80 foreign students. 
  
During the 9th "Five Year Plan" the faculty has undertaken over 423 research projects, 21 of which are state key-task projects and 7 are " 863 " high-tech projects. With nearly 5,500 academic papers published, the university has received more than 141 awards above the ministerial and municipal level for scientific research and teaching achievements. Having being a part of the " 211 Project " --a national overall project which will keep 100 top universities in China into the 21st century, the university has been given enhanced support from the central government since 1997 on. The computer network on the campus has taken shape and connected to the INTERNET, CERNET and SHERNET. The university has taken the lead in carrying out the telemedicine project in the country. 
  
The university is actively involved in academic exchanges both at home and abroad. Inter-university cooperative relationship has been set up with over 40 colleges and universities in the United States, Japan, Canada, France, Australia and Singapore, etc. Besides, more than 20 experts are holding the office in over 50 international academic societies and organizations. Moreover, 14 international symposia have been held in the university in the past five years and over 3,500 scholars sent to abroad for academic exchanges and advanced training. The university retains its leading position at home in the research fields of hepatitis, hepatoma, acupuncture analgesia, medical audiology, hand surgery, t-PA gene engineering, preventive medicine and integrated Chinese and Western medicine. The university attains the world advanced level in some fields such as the clinical treatment of liver cancer, reconstruction of throat, basicranial microsurgery and the treatment of avulsion of brachial plexus.