Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) today announced that it will no longer submit data for participation in the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) annual “Best Medical Schools” rankings.
The decision was announced in a memo to faculty, staff, and students from J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, dean of the PSOM and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. Citing concern that the “rankings perpetuate a vision for medical education and the future physician and scientist workforce that we do not share,” he emphasized the PSOM’s focus on innovation and impact and shaping the future of medicine as more important cornerstones for measuring the school’s reputation.
“The USNWR measures encourage the acceptance of students based upon the highest grades and test scores,” Jameson said. “Yet, we strive to identify and attract students with a wide array of characteristics that predict promise. The careers of transformative physicians, scientists, and leaders reveal the importance of other personal qualities, including creativity, passion, resilience, and empathy.”
The Penn Carey Law School also recently announced that it would withdraw from the USNWR law school rankings, and several other top medical schools have recently taken similar steps regarding the medical school rankings.
Jameson noted that transparent, external evaluations are an essential part of how PSOM serves its many stakeholders, from prospective students to the patients in our communities and across the world who rely on the physicians and scientists the school trains. These data both assist medical school applicants as they consider the path to their future career, and help schools continuously improve in preparing students to practice within the ever-evolving field of medicine.
The PSOM remains committed to providing objective information about key elements of its operations and performance, including the type of data previously shared with USNWR, which will be included on the PSOM admissions website. School leaders also plan work with peer and academic medical affinity groups to develop new and better measures of evaluation which are a more accurate, inclusive measurement of a school’s quality.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $9.9 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $546 million awarded in the 2021 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center—which are recognized as one of the nation’s top “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report—Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 52,000 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2021, Penn Medicine provided more than $619 million to benefit our community.
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