Perelman School of Medicine ranked third place for research in U.S. News report

Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine was named the third best medical school for research in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 ranking, rising up three spots from the previous annual ranking.

For the past 22 years, the Medical School has taken one of the top ten spots in the top medical schools for research. This year, the Medical School and the School of Medicine at Stanford University were tied for third place in the ranking for research. The Medical School at Harvard University took first place, followed by the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. 

Penn and the University of Minnesota were tied in 10th place in the ranking for top medical schools for primary care. The report also ranks medical schools based on their performance in specific medical programs and specialties.

Penn placed highly in eight specialties. The Medical School ranked first in pediatrics, third in anesthesiology, as well as fourth in radiology, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. Other rankings include fifth in internal medicine, ninth in psychiatry, and nineteenth in family medicine. 

“This recognition is a testament to our faculty, staff, and students who come together each and every day to create an incredible learning environment, driving forward our mission to advance research and clinical practice, and to improve health across the world," Medical School Dean J. Larry Jameson told Penn Medicine News. Jameson also serves as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System.

The medical school ranking is based on a variety of indicators, including GPA, MCAT scores, acceptance rate, peer assessment survey scores, residency assessment survey scores, research activity, and faculty-student ratio. 

Results are based on a survey completed by 120 of the 185 medical schools or schools of osteopathic medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association.