A one-core, four-dimension framework for teaching–management integrated governance in medical universities

Background Digital-intelligent transformation is reshaping medical universities, yet teaching and management often remain structurally separated. This paper proposes a theoretically grounded framework for teaching–management integrated governance (TMIG) in medical universities. Main body Drawing on governance theory, general systems theory, digital-era governance, and medical-education standards, we synthesise a one-core, four-dimension conceptual model and specify three enabling logics. The model centres on virtue-oriented talent cultivation and comprises value and philosophy, organisational structure, data platform, and operational mechanism; the theoretical, practical, and safeguarding logics explain how digital-intelligent technologies can couple teaching and management into an evidence-based governance loop. The synthesis is methodologically explicit: it draws on a targeted search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and policy repositories (2014–2026), applies inclusion criteria focused on digital governance and medical education, and retains approximately 30 anchor works. Conclusion By treating teaching and management as one governance system, TMIG offers a conceptually grounded path towards the integrated, intelligent, and internationalised digital-education agenda. The analysis is a conceptual synthesis of published work and contains no primary empirical data; the framework is offered as a foundation for later empirical and evaluative research.