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Top 8 US Research Medical Schools for 2022

Written by: Alex Brown
Published on: Oct 7, 2021
Category:

Top 8 Research Medical Schools 2022

For those considering a career in healthcare, medical schools are the linchpin to getting the position you want. While being accepted into any medical school is a notable achievement, getting into a top institution is a lifelong dream for many ambitious healthcare hopefuls. They see acceptance from a top medical school as the ultimate validation of sacrifice and hard work.

So which schools are the best of the best? Where should you aim to go if you’re interested in conducting research? How about clinical practice?

This post is the first in a two-part series covering the best eight institutions of higher learning for medicine in the U.S. In part one, we discuss the top schools for medical research.

These top schools are based on rankings within the 2022 U.S. News & World Report research category. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Medical Research Schools

Research #1:    Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School has affiliation agreements with 15 of the world’s most prestigious hospitals and research institutes and is also home to more than 10,000 physicians and scientists with faculty appointments.

Research #2:    The Grossman School of Medicine

The Grossman School of Medicine at New York University offers full-tuition scholarships to “all current and future matriculated students” in its MD degree program, regardless of merit or financial need, provided each student maintains satisfactory academic progress.

Research #3:  Duke University

Duke University is the youngest of the nation’s top medical schools, offering a unique curriculum for MD students that allows students to study core basic sciences for one year instead of two, giving them the opportunity to devote their entire third year to a scholarly research project.

Medical School Class

TIE Research #4:  Columbia University

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons employs faculty with a combined 113 scientific honors and has a roster of noted alumni including Benjamin Spock, Robin Cook, Charles Drew, Allen Oldfather Whipple, and more.

TIE Research #4:  Stanford University Medical School

Stanford University’s proximity to Silicon Valley has enabled the school to pioneer innovations that sparked a biomedical revolution, including MRIs, gene splicing, and stem cell medicine. One of its groundbreaking events was the first adult human heart transplant in the U.S.

TIE Research #4:  University of California--San Francisco

The UCSF School of Medicine “earns its greatest distinction from its outstanding faculty – among them are five Nobel laureates, 101 National Academy of Medicine members, 64 American Academy of Arts and Sciences members, 51 National Academy of Sciences members, and 17 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.”

Research #7:    Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is home to 2,300 full-time faculty members, supporting students with a 5 to 1 faculty-to-student ratio, and houses 902 research labs. Faculty and alumni hold nearly 2,500 patents in various disciplines.

Research #8:  University of Washington Medical School

The University of Washington Medical School boasts “an inseparable connection to the region's leading medical school and an internationally known research center”. It ranks highly in both primary care and research and offers opportunities in global environmental change, health economics, health metrics and evaluation, infectious diseases, and more.

In part two, we’ll discuss the best schools for primary care. You can check out the complete specialized rankings by visiting the U.S. News & World Report website.