The University of Virginia School of Medicine has retained its highest-ever ranking of 23rd in the nation for research-intensive schools in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings. In addition, UVA’s ranking in the training of primary care physicians improved to 35 th , up from 38 th in last year’s rankings.
UVA is the only medical school in the Commonwealth to be included in the top 50 for research and is one of just six schools in the mid-Atlantic, including Johns Hopkins, Duke and U.N.C., to crack the Top 30 in the research-intensive schools category.
“Our faculty and staff take very seriously our responsibility in training physicians and scientists who are able to provide excellent patient care and conduct ground-breaking research. To be recognized as one of the nation’s best medical schools is an honor we greatly appreciate,” said Dr. Sharon L. Hostler, interim vice president and dean of the UVA School of Medicine.
While many schools saw their National Institutes of Health research funding remain stagnant or experience significant declines from last year’s rankings, UVA saw its funding increase by more than $30 million.
“In the face of tightening NIH funding, this represents some outstanding work and determination by our faculty working to ensure their research receives funding,” Hostler said.
One hundred and forty-five medical schools were surveyed. Other indicators included peer assessment, enrollment, undergraduate GPA, acceptance rates, scores on the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), and faculty-student ratio.
