The school is maintained by the Fundação Bahiana para Desenvolvimento das Ciências (Bahian Foundation for Science Development).

After noticing the health care needs of Bahian society at the beginning of the 1950s, a group of doctors, academics, public managers and religious leaders from Salvador founded a new institution.

The Ambulatório Docente-Assistencial da Bahiana is located nearby, where a multidisciplinary team of professionals, teachers and students from diverse fields provide free health care services.

[clarification needed] The Cabula Academic Unit is home to Bahiana's Biomedicine, Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing courses.

Since 2008, undergraduates have had to pass through an admission process called Processo Seletivo Formativo (PROSEF), which allows them to experience their future profession and interact with teachers and classmates.