The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier medical schools, and this month's national rankings proved it once again.
For the seventh year in a row, the Medical School was ranked in the top five research medical schools by U.S. News and World Report, a news magazine that publishes rankings of institutions of higher learning.
The Medical School was ranked fourth behind Harvard, Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University. Penn was tied with Duke University.
The magazine ranks these schools "based on a combination of objective and subjective data," U.S. News spokesman Rich Folkers said.
Each of the 125 medical schools ranked is rated by the deans and faculty members of other schools. This peer assessment consists of 40 percent of the raw score issued to each school.
In addition to the peer assessment, 30 percent of the raw score is based on the caliber of research performed at the institution, 20 percent on the school's selectivity and 10 percent on faculty resources.
Eight years ago, the Penn Medical School was ranked seventh, according to Medical School Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison. However, due to the yearly change in criteria for these rankings, it is not accurate to compare an institution's rankings from year to year.
According to Morrison, the Medical School has earned such high rankings over the past decade because of a unique integrated curriculum that was implemented in 1997. "The big goal of the curriculum is that students coming in can reach their goals," Morrison said.
Numerous study abroad options, as well as being so close to all of the resources provided by the University as a whole, are also key factors in the Medical School's success.
"Many med schools and universities are separated," Morrison said. But at Penn, all schools are within walking distance of each other, so many options are created for the students.
Alan Rosenquist, the associate dean for basic science education, also cited Penn's unity and unique curriculum as key assets.
New innovations, such as making both video and audio recordings of lectures available online to all students, also set the school apart, according to Rosenquist.
But, Rosenquist added, "the number one asset of the School of Medicine is its students."
"U.S. News is wrong," he added. "I think that we are the best medical school in the country."
