A qualified midwife can not only provide families with essential care for natural childbirth but also act as a problem finder for women with high-risk pregnancies and make appropriate referrals. A midwife will also provide the community with correct maternal and childcare information, ultimately reducing medical costs. Due to social changes in Taiwan, the requirement of the public for high-quality medical care has increased. The reduced willingness of licensed obstetricians to deliver babies and the high rate of cesarean sections in Taiwan makes it necessary to train high-level midwives.

      In response to these societal needs and the development of the university, the National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences (NTUNHS) was approved to establish the only nursing and midwifery research institute in Taiwan during the 2000 academic year. Since then, the institute has enrolled about 10 students per year in its master’s degree nursing and midwifery program. To cultivate more clinical skills in midwifery practices, NTUNHS established the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health in August 2016 and added an undergraduate program. The department was then merged with the graduate institute and renamed the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Healthcare. In August 2018, the Ministry of Education approved the department’s change of name to the Department of Nurse-Midwifery and Women’s Health, which offers both undergraduate and master's degree programs.