Introducing the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran

History: The Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran is an organization established on 5 January 1988, and was approved by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and started its activity on the same year. The first statute of the Academy was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) in 1989, and a revised version of the statute was approved in 2011. According to the approval of the Academy’s General Assembly, as of September 2023, the Academy's membership included 87 full members, 126 associate members, and 37 honorary members. The Academy's General Assembly meets quarterly to review records of proposed members, and in case of approval announces their membership.

Objectives:
⦁    Providing consultation, theorizing, and foresight in all aspects of health
⦁    Achieving scientific and cultural independence
⦁    Developing health sciences and technologies 
⦁    Strengthening the spirit of research to achieve the most effective, scientific, and latest findings and innovations in the field of health sciences
⦁    Assisting society and individuals in achieving the highest level of holistic health with a focus on promoting medical ethics, indigenous culture, health equity, the centrality of a healthy human in progress and development, respect and role modeling, Islamic foundations, and appropriate cultural development
⦁    Participating in watching, auditing and monitoring all dimensions of physical, mental, social, and spiritual health
⦁    Safeguarding the cultural heritage and Islamic and Iranian civilization in the arena of health sciences
⦁    Growing and expanding education based on philosophy, wisdom, ethics, and Islamic jurisprudence in the arena of health and medical sciences

Duties:
⦁    Striving to realize Iran’s vision of civilization-building and the Islamic Iranian paradigm of progress, taking into account the objectives and duties of the Academy
⦁    Contributing to the realization of Iran's comprehensive scientific map, enhancing the efficiency of the national administration, defending ideological boundaries, unity, national security, and safeguarding Islamic and Iranian culture and identity
⦁    Analyzing challenges and providing practical, care-related, and service-oriented recommendations to improve Iran's healthcare system
⦁    Critiquing current health policies and programs being implemented in the health arena and making suggestions to decision makers and concerned authorities
⦁    Translating knowledge in health sciences and the areas of providing care and health services via utilizing collective activities and attracting the support and encouragement of scientists, researchers, elites, and experts in the country
⦁    Presenting and proposing scientific hypotheses and theories, striving to expand knowledge boundaries, and making attempts to improve the level of knowledge and research in the country in coincidence with maintaining scientific and cultural independence and in harmony with the country's comprehensive scientific map in the health arena
⦁    Collaborating and providing solutions to strengthen Islamic culture, spiritual health, and medical ethics, as well as striving to recognize and promote health jurisprudence
⦁    Paving the ground and supporting the establishment and expansion of knowledge based on philosophy, wisdom, ethics, and Islamic jurisprudence in the field of health and medicine, and training human resources in these fields in cooperation with religious and academic institutions
⦁    Studying and developing a comprehensive document and program for training physician-scholars (Hakims) in the field of health in cooperation with religious and academic institutions
⦁    Refining, strengthening, and fostering public health culture in the society
⦁    Carrying out fundamental scientific and research consultancy on issues related to knowledge, theorizing, and technology that are requested of the Academy by the triple bodies of government, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and scientific and research centers, and providing required proposals
⦁    Studying the experiences of countries in acquiring and developing knowledge and technology in the health arena, as well as examining the latest scientific findings and manner of using them, given the existing backgrounds and capabilities in the country
⦁    Encouraging and motivating scientists and researchers to innovate and create scientific works by providing them with financial and moral support
⦁    Supporting the creation of required facilities for the exchange of information and research results and the exchange of views among scientists and researchers; and exchanging experts and health science researchers with other countries, particularly Islamic countries, to preserve and revive the Islamic and Iranian medical heritage by providing allowance, granting scholarships, sabbatical leave, and utilizing scientific trips through relevant authorities
⦁    Reviewing and proposing regulations on the improvement of the scientific level of medical seminars, conferences, and symposia at the national level, and evaluating such conferences
⦁    Supporting the holding of scientific conferences aimed at reviewing the latest findings in health sciences
⦁    Disseminating information and knowledge of health sciences through publication of scientific, research, and applied journals and books, especially the latest findings of health sciences at the national and international levels
⦁    Encouraging and honoring scientists and their services and awarding prizes, rewards, and scientific medals to scientists, researchers, and institutions that have rendered prominent scientific services
⦁    Proposing and allocating research credits and facilities for the activities of prominent scientists
⦁    Establishing relationships with health and medical sciences academies in other countries and examining and approving the Academy membership in international associations and organizations whose duties and objectives are consistent with the duties and objectives of the Academy within the framework of the Iran’s laws and regulations
⦁    Elevating the image of associations and utilizing the capabilities of medical scientific associations and those associations that are somehow have something to do with health; and encouraging and motivating their participation in policy-making and planning in various dimensions of health
⦁    Reviewing and analyzing the scientific, technical, educational, and research status of medical sciences; and making recommendations to relevant authorities for their improvement and enhancement
Clause: The Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) and other institutions shall cooperate with the Academy of Medical Sciences within the framework of this statute.