Now situated next to Wu Tai Shan Sports Center and close to Xin Jie Kou central business district, Nanjing Medical University was founded in Zhenjiang in 1934 when it was called National Jiangsu Medical College. It was moved to Nanjing in 1957 and renamed Nanjing Medical College. In 1962, it joined the first group of medical universities to offer six-year programs, and was approved to award doctoral and master's degrees in 1981. In 1993, it was renamed Nanjing Medical University with the approval of the State Educational Committee. Currently a comprehensive university with the disciplines of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biology, Management and Law, Nanjing Medical University enjoys high reputation at home and abroad.

Nanjing Medical University consists of two campuses: Wutai Campus and Jiangning Campus, and comprises of 14 schools. They are School of Basic Medical Sciences, the First School of Clinical Medicine, the Second School of Clinical Medicine, the Third School of Clinical Medicine, School of Gulou Clinical Medicine, School of Stomatology, School of Public Health, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Medical Policy and Management, School of International Education, Kangda School, School of Continuing Education and School of Higher Vocational and Technical Education. It has 17 affiliated hospitals in Nanjing, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Huai'an.

Nanjing Medical University has 3 post-doctoral stations, 1 first-level discipline authorized to confer doctoral degree, 35 second-level disciplines to confer doctoral degrees, 42 second-level disciplines to confer master's degrees, two six-year dual bachelor's degree programs, and three seven-year programs in addition to its 1 key laboratory at ministry level, 2 key laboratories co-established by the ministry and the provincial government, 7 provincial key disciplines, 7 provincial key laboratories and research centers. At the university, there are 11 research institutes and 16 research centers. As the central medical library in Jiangsu Province and the medical literature center of the university literature service system, the university library contains a collection of 1,040,330 volumes and 10,000 categories of periodicals.

Currently Nanjing Medical University has 198 full professors, 549 associate professors, 94 supervisors of doctoral programs and 278 supervisors of master's programs. The number of students is over 10,000.

Nanjing Medical University takes an active part in extensive exchanges with higher educational institutions at home and abroad. Since 1980s, the university has established cooperation and academic exchange relationships with medical institutions and hospitals in countries and regions like U.S.A, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, U.K, Austria, Australia, Russia and Hong Kong for cooperation and academic exchanges. Some prestigious experts and scholars are conferred Nanjing Medical University honorary or guest professorship. Meanwhile, it has sent 500 teachers abroad for long-term study or short-term visits.

In its history of about 70 years, Nanjing Medical University has trained over 1,500 postgraduates with doctoral and master's degrees and more than 40,000 graduates. Most of them are now working at hospitals, disease control centers, and medical research institutes throughout Jiangsu Province and other parts of the country. Quite a few have become eminent medical experts and scholars.