In April 1996, the Commission on Higher Education has identified CIM as one of the three Center of Excellence for Medicine.

Thereafter, research became institutionalized in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Physiology and Pharmacology and Family & Community Medicine.

The Clinical Epidemiology Unit (CEU) currently composed of Dr. Paterno Veloso Jr., Fidelis E.Quiza, Cheryl K.Bullo and Stephen Bullo; an affiliate of the Southeast Asian Epidemiology Net was established with the primary mission to improve the research capability of the Faculty, Students and Residents in training.

As one of the five acclaimed Center of Medical Excellence, CIM was tasked to provide a series of lecture-workshops with mentoring on Research Methodology to a core staff of faculty members of the College of Medicine of the West Visayas State University.

Just recently, the five-year Twinning Program on Research Capability Development co-sponsored by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges was successfully concluded.

The first batch of the full PBL students graduated in April 2005 and took the board examinations that same year.

From the first PBL class, during the August 2006 exam, 98% passed with two students topping the board examinations.