Profiles of Asian Medical Schools (PAMS) is a project undertaken by the Medical Education Unit, National University of Singapore to document comprehensively the educational status of medical schools in Asia. The profile of each medical school is presented as a narrative description covering a) history and structure, b) teaching and learning, c) student assessment, d) curriculum management structure and governance, e) office of medical education, f) funding for education program, e) valuing teaching, f) curriculum renewal process, and g) future directions. The 'Profiles' provide us with greater insight into how Asian medical schools have been able to meet the challenges posed and the opportunities created by on-going global reforms in medical education. We hope this initiative will help to identify important areas for co-operation among our respective institutions and further strengthen the bonds among Asian medical educators.