Following the announcement last week that Harvard Medical School would no longer submit data or participate in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, additional universities have followed suit.
As per Med Page Today, top schools, including the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University, the Stanford School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, have already announced their withdrawals as of Tuesday’s press time. The medical school defection follows a group of the nation’s leading legal schools from the previous year.
Following the announcement last week that Harvard Medical School would no longer submit data or participate in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, additional universities have followed suit.
Top schools, including the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University, the Stanford School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, have already announced their withdrawals as of Tuesday’s press time. The medical school defection follows a group of the nation’s leading legal schools from the previous year.
In a statement to faculty and students, Katrina Armstrong, MD, dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, explained the institution’s decision to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings. Opened in a new tab or window late last week and shared via email with MedPage Today on Tuesday, stating that she wanted to “address one motivating aspect in our choice that speaks to the essence of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.”
She said that the U.S. News medical school rankings “perpetuate a narrow and elite view of medical education.” “Their emphasis is on self-reinforcing metrics like as prestige and institutional riches, as opposed to gauging a school’s effectiveness in training a diverse and well-trained cohort of doctors who can improve medicine and meet society’s demands.”
She said, “Their emphasis on standardized test scores comes at a time when it is widely acknowledged that prioritizing these scores rewards well-resourced applicants without respect for selecting persons who can best serve the future demands of a diverse and changing society.”
Armstrong also noted that the medical school acknowledges the need to establish “effective mechanisms of communicating information” with prospective students in light of its decision to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings.
Armstrong wrote, “I look forward to productive discussions and innovative thinking across the larger medical education community on this matter,” adding that Columbia “will be actively engaged in this effort, exploring ways to provide consolidated data that is both meaningful for prospective students and ensures accountability.”
Lloyd Minor, MD, the dean of Stanford School of Medicine, wrote in a statement announcing the school’s resignation from the rankings, “Ultimately, we believe that the methodology does not capture the full range of what makes for an extraordinary learning environment.”
He stated that the Stanford School of Medicine would begin independently releasing its performance data beginning March 1.
Minor noted, “Our metrics will reflect and evaluate the efforts and achievements of our faculty in education, research, and patient care, as well as the innovation and effect of faculty and trainees on biomedicine and their responsibilities in training the leaders of tomorrow.” Access to significant patient care and research possibilities, as well as our tripartite goal, will be reflected in our reporting.
Following the announcement last week that Harvard Medical School would no longer submit data or participate in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, additional universities have followed suit.
Top schools, including the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University, the Stanford School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, have already announced their withdrawals as of Tuesday’s press time. The medical school defection follows a group of the nation’s leading legal schools from the previous year.
In a statement to faculty and students, Katrina Armstrong, MD, dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, explained the institution’s decision to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings. opens in a new tab or window late last week and shared via email with MedPage Today on Tuesday, stating that she wanted to “address to one motivating aspect in our choice that speaks to the essence of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
She said that the U.S. News medical school rankings “perpetuate a narrow and elite view of medical education.” “Their emphasis is on self-reinforcing metrics like as prestige and institutional riches, as opposed to gauging a school’s effectiveness in training a diverse and well-trained cohort of doctors who can improve medicine and meet society’s demands.”
She said, “Their emphasis on standardized test scores comes at a time when it is widely acknowledged that prioritizing these scores rewards well-resourced applicants without respect for selecting persons who can best serve the future demands of a diverse and changing society.”
Armstrong also noted that the medical school acknowledges the need to establish “effective mechanisms of communicating information” with prospective students in light of its decision to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings.
Armstrong wrote, “I look forward to productive discussions and innovative thinking across the larger medical education community on this matter,” adding that Columbia “will be actively engaged in this effort, exploring ways to provide consolidated data that is both meaningful for prospective students and ensures accountability.”
Lloyd Minor, MD, the dean of Stanford School of Medicine, wrote in a statement announcing the school’s resignation from the rankings, “Ultimately, we believe that the methodology does not capture the full range of what makes for an extraordinary learning environment.” He stated that the Stanford School of Medicine will begin independently releasing its performance data beginning March 1.
Minor noted, “Our metrics will reflect and evaluate the efforts and achievements of our faculty in education, research, and patient care, as well as the innovation and effect of faculty and trainees on biomedicine and their roles in the development of tomorrow’s leaders.” Access to significant patient care and research possibilities, as well as our tripartite goal, will be reflected in our reporting.
He went on to say that the medical school’s process will “reflect our core values, emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will ensure that our metrics are measurable, verifiable, and transparent,” adding that opportunities for stakeholders to discuss the school’s metrics will be welcomed as they are finalized.
Notably, Minor indicated in the letter that Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health would continue to participate in U.S. News’ annual “Best Hospitals” rankings despite the medical school’s withdrawal. “Medical school rankings and hospital rankings are distinct, autonomous, and employ distinct techniques,” he explained.
In a statement announcing his school’s departure from the rankings, J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, stressed that the school’s decision did not influence participation in the “Best Hospitals” rankings. However, Jameson was unequivocal regarding the medical school’s choice to withdraw participation.
Jameson commented that the U.S. News rankings “perpetuate a vision for medical education and the future physician and scientist workforce that we do not share” and that the publication “reinforces a legacy approach to training and a limited, subjective evaluation of institutions by their peers.”
“While the Perelman School of Medicine has consistently ranked well by these metrics, and we are proud of our reputation, we aspire to be judged more on our innovation, impact, the far-reaching achievements of our faculty and graduates, and our ability to maintain a forward-looking perspective,” he added.
The kind of information formerly supplied with U.S. News for the rankings will now be available on the medical school’s admittance website, according to Jameson. He stated, “And we will collaborate with others to produce new and improved measurements that are valid, meaningful, and more representative of what students and the world require of us.” In response to Harvard Medical School’s withdrawal announcement, U.S. News denied further comment beyond its first statement.
Eric Gertler, a CEO and Executive Chairman of U.S. News, said in a statement at the time, “We realize that comparing varied academic institutions across a similar data set is difficult, which is why we have consistently maintained that rankings should be one component of a prospective student’s selection.”
“Millions of potential students visit the U.S. News medical school rankings each year because we give them with essential information and solutions to aid them in this process,” he stated. Unknown is the extent to which further medical schools will resign from the U.S. News medical school rankings.
