US News & World Report ranks School of Medicine among best in nation for primary care, research

US News & World Report once again includes the UC Davis School of Medicine as among the best in the country for primary care and research in the magazine’s annual list of America’s best graduate schools.

Among medical schools, the publication ranks UC Davis as 21st in primary care and 48th in research, tied with the University of Massachusetts, Worcester.

The 125 medical schools fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education plus the 19 schools of osteopathic medicine fully accredited by the American Osteopathic Association were surveyed for the ranking of research medical schools; 126 schools provided the data needed to calculate the research rankings based on the indicators used in the research model.

The same medical and osteopathic schools were surveyed for the primary-care ranking; 126 schools provided the data needed to calculate the primary-care ranking. Both rankings are based on a weighted average of indicators, four of them common to both models. The research model factors in research activity; the primary-care model adds a measure of the proportion of graduates entering primary-care specialties.

The rankings were based on measures of quality as determined by:

• A peer assessment score derived from ratings by medical and osteopathic school deans, deans of academic affairs, and heads of internal medicine or the directors of admissions;

• An assessment score by residency directors;

• Total research activity;

• Average research activity per faculty;

• Primary-care rate — the percentage of M.D. or D.O. school graduates entering primary-care residencies in the fields of family practice, pediatrics and internal medicine averaged over 2002, 2003 and 2004;

• Student selectivity, as measured by mean MCAT score, mean undergraduate GPA and acceptance rate;

• Faculty resources;

• Overall rank; and

• Specialty rankings based solely on ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty from the list of schools surveyed. They each identified up to 10 schools offering the best programs in each specialty area.

For more information about the methodology and individual listings, visit US News & World Report’s Web site at http://www.usnews.com.