More medical schools are removed from the US News list

Several major medical schools have now indicated that they will not participate in the popular US News and World Report rankings.

Harvard Medical School first made the announcement in early January, and several other schools have made similar decisions.

The medical schools of Columbia University, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania, among others, said in recent days that they are no longer part of US News’ rankings. Duke University and the University of Chicago joined the ranks on Friday.

Many students and families use the reports to make decisions about medical schools, law schools, and four-year colleges and universities. US News has defended its rankings as a valuable tool in helping readers decide where to continue their education. Many medical schools and hospitals tout their high rankings in US News reports.

But the rankings have gained increasing scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying the focus on standardized tests favors wealthy students and fails to reward schools for seeking diverse enrollment and promising students from disadvantaged groups.

Columbia

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University made the announcement on January 20, three days after Harvard Medical School. Katrina Armstrong, dean of the university, said in a statement that “the rankings perpetuate a narrow and elitist view of medical education.”

“His emphasis is on self-reinforcing criteria such as reputation and institutional wealth, rather than measuring a school’s success in educating a diverse and well-trained cohort of physicians capable of improving medicine and meeting the needs of society,” Armstrong said.

University of Pennsylvania

J. Larry Jameson, dean of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said in a message to the school community that the institution had been contemplating the move for some time.

“We made the decision to end our participation not out of concern that these rankings are sometimes based on data that may be inaccurate or misleading, but because the rankings measure the wrong things,” Jameson said.

mount sinai

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced its decision to withdraw from the US News rankings on January 24, saying that “medical school rankings have a damaging impact on medical education.”

“The rankings provide a flawed and misleading assessment of medical schools; they lack precision, validity and relevance; and undermine the school’s core commitments to compassionate care, unmatched education, cutting-edge research, anti-racism engagement, and outreach to diverse communities,” the school said.

stanford

Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, said in a statement Jan. 23 that he will be removed from the US News ranking after “extensive deliberation.” US News can continue to rank the school using publicly available data, Minor said. And Stanford said it would independently report data on the medical school’s performance.

“We believe our decision, along with those of a growing number of peer institutions, is necessary to lead a long-awaited examination of how quality medical education is assessed and presented to aspiring students,” Minor said.

Washington University in St. Louis

The University of Washington School of Medicine said on January 26 that it would no longer participate in the US News rankings. David H. Perlmutter, the school’s executive vice provost for medical affairs, said “it’s time to stop participating in a system that doesn’t serve our students or their future patients.”

Although Washington University School of Medicine has done well, Perlmutter said, “There comes a point where participating in such a system can get in the way of achieving our most important goals. The information on which these rankings are based is easily subject to manipulation and misrepresentation.”

Washington University School of Medicine

While it has already submitted data this year, the UW School of Medicine said Jan. 26 that it would stop contributing to US News rankings. Timothy H. Dellit, interim executive director of UW Medicine and interim dean of the UW School of Medicine, said “it’s important to join other medical schools” in finalizing participation.

“The emphasis on prestige and reputation without any objective assessment of the quality of education is at odds with our vision of the future of medicine,” Dellit said in the statement. “Similarly, the sole focus on standardized scores and grades does not reflect our holistic admissions process and the importance of diverse life experiences. Instead, this emphasis perpetuates the inherent bias.”

Duke University

Duke University School of Medicine said Friday it would no longer submit data to US News rankings. In a statement, medical school leaders said they “had long had reservations” about the rankings.

“While the ranking system may have been intended to provide students with useful information to help them determine if a school is right for them, it is now apparent that the metrics used have little connection to the values ​​or quality of education. from school. program,” the school said.

University of Chicago

The Pritzker School of Medicine announced its decision to stop participating in the rankings, citing “the impact the grading system has on equitable medical education.” The school announced its decision on Friday, January 27.

Vineet Arora, dean of medical education at the Pritzker School, said the main concern for many in the decision is reducing inequities in medical education. “This is essential as our nation continues to suffer from extreme health disparities and would greatly benefit from a more diverse medical workforce,” Arora said in a statement.

Defending the classification

Eric Gertler, CEO and CEO of US News, said earlier this month that the rankings offer valuable guidance for students and families when making decisions about where to go to school.

“We know that comparing various academic institutions through a common data set is challenging, and that is why we have consistently asserted that rankings should be a component in a prospective student’s decision-making process,” Gertler said in a statement.

“The fact is that millions of prospective students visit US News Medical School Rankings annually because we provide students with valuable data and solutions to help them with that process.”

In recent months, several top law schools, including Yale Law School, Harvard Law School and Berkeley Law School, have said they would be removed from US News rankings.