Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Romanian: Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie „Iuliu Hațieganu", or UMF Cluj) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, is the oldest medical education institution in Transylvania, a continuation of the Faculty of Medicine which was founded in 1919, as a part of the Superior Dacia University. The university has over 6,000 national and international students, 2,400 resident physicians, as well as over 1,100 teachers and researchers. It was named in honor of the scientist Iuliu Hațieganu. The university is classified as an "advanced research and education university" by the Ministry of Education.^[1]

Higher education in Cluj dates from 1581.^[2] University life gradually developed, outlining various fields and specialties of study. Among them, medicine has played an essential part. Thus, the Medical-Surgical School was established in Cluj in 1775. Here the teacher was the well-known oculist Ioan Piuariu-Molnar, who was also the first titrated Romanian doctor. In 1816, the medical-surgical school was transformed in the Medical-Surgical High School.^[2]

The Hungarian Faculty of Medicine was founded at the very beginning of the existence of Franz Joseph University in Cluj in 1872. Between 1888 and 1901 the clinics and institutes of the Faculty were built on Mikó Street ( known today as Clinics Street).

Soon after the Union of Transylvania with Romania, medical and pharmaceutical education witnessed a major transformation. In 1919, the Romanian Faculty of Medicine was established as part of Superior Dacia University. The first dean and organizer of the Faculty was Iuliu Hațieganu,^[3] who was subsequently made rector magnificus of this university.^[4] Due to his initiative, new disciplines were created, including medical semiology, radiology, stomatology and history of medicine, which were firsts for medical education in Romania.^[2] At the same time, Professor Gheorghe Bilașcu founded at Cluj the first discipline of stomatology in Romania. Between 1919 and 1934, the Faculty of Medicine included an important department of pharmacy, founded and chaired by Professor Gheorghe Pamfil. Four years later, the Palace of University Clinics was inaugurated in 1938.

A turning point in medical and pharmaceutical education was achieved in 1948, when the Medico-Pharmaceutical Institute became independent,^[2] organized into five different faculties: General Medicine, Pediatrics, Stomatology, Pharmacy and Hygiene – the latter being active only for a single decade. The Faculty of Medicine had the largest share.

Since 1990, medical and pharmaceutical education at Cluj-Napoca evolved at a rapid pace. The same year, the Medico-Pharmaceutical Institute changed its name to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The iconic Iuliu Hațieganu became the university's namesake in 1992.^[3]

Celebrating 90 years of Romanian medical education in Cluj, UMF Cluj inaugurated in 2009 the Valeriu Bologa Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj, located on Avram Iancu Street 31.^[5]

Scientific research represents one of the missions assumed through UMF Cluj. Research activities are run in all disciplines and departments of the university, and financial support is ensured by grants and research contracts. The effort of teaching staff collectives and the institutional framework was improved by the creation of the Department for Research and Development. UMF Cluj has two excellence centers and seven research centers in the university.

The Clujul Medical magazine (official website here) publishes four issues every year, with original articles, articles regarding clinical or fundamental research, literature synthesis, papers on standardization, tutorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, advertisements for professional events, as well as other materials that are left to the editorial board's discretion. Clujul Medical was founded in February 1920, as the journal of the Medical School in Cluj, and appeared almost without interruption.

Iuliu Hațieganu's own publishing house, established in 1998, has released over 400 titles of professional books and eight new titles of medical journals.

Valeriu Bologa, the library of UMF Cluj established in 1949, is a member of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries. It has over 300,000 books and journals in Romanian, English and French and over 6,000 subscribed members. The director of the library is Andrei Achimaș.^[9]

• Raed Arafat (1964–), Secretary of State for Health
• Gheorghe Benga (1944–), physician, biologist, and professor
• Gheorghe Bilașcu [ro] (1863–1926), stomatologist
• Lucian Valeriu Bologa [ro] (1892–1971), physician and historian of medicine
• Augustin Buzura (1938–2017), novelist and short story writer
• Salvator Cupcea (1908–1958), psychologist, physician, and politician
• Horia Demian (1942–1989), basketball player
• Sidonia Făgărășan, biological scientist
• Octavian Fodor [ro] (1913–1976), physician
• Iacob Iacobovici (1879–1959), surgeon and professor
• Iuliu Hațieganu (1885–1959), physician
• Iuliu Moldovan [ro] (1882–1966), physician and discoverer of reticulin
• Anamaria Nesteriuc (1993–), athlete
• Mihai Netea (1968–), physician and professor
• Victor Papilian [ro] (1888–1956), physician, writer, and professor
• Sergiu P. Pașca (1982–), neuroscientist
• Laura Poantă (1971–), physician, translator, painter, and professor
• Emil Racoviță (1868–1947), savant, explorer, speleologist, biologist, and founder of biospeleology