Harvard Yet Again Dubbed Top Medical School

Harvard Medical School continued its long run atop the U.S. News 2012 rankings of Best Medical Schools for research, finishing ahead of the University of Pennsylvania, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. 

There weren't many major moves in the rankings of research institutions, though the Stanford University School of Medicine jumped from an 11th-place tie last year to a 5th-place tie. The Temple University School of Medicine and the Medical College of Wisconsin also worked up the list, moving into a tie for 45th after having been ranked 52nd and 51st last year, respectively. 

[See the full rankings of research institutions.] 

Acceptance rates among the top research schools are cumulatively lower than any of the other major graduate disciplines. Fifth-ranked Stanford University, for instance, accepted a mere 3.3 percent of applicants in 2010. The Mayo Medical School, associated with the renowned Mayo Clinic headquartered in Rochester, Minn., and tied for 26th in this year's rankings, accepted the lowest percentage of applicants in 2010—a miniscule 2.2 percent. In fact, only one school in the top 20, the fourth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, accepts more than 10 percent of applicants. 

While these research institutions continue to be pioneers for the medical community and train new generations of researchers, primary care programs are in place to train doctors to meet the most pressing needs of patients today. Government health officials worry about the growing shortage of primary care physicians nationwide, which has developed, at least in part, because primary care salaries pale in comparison to specialties. Dermatologists and cardiologists, for instance, make nearly double the pay of internists, on average, according to American Medical Group Association Data. 

To bridge this gap, a growing number of state loan forgiveness programs for primary care physicians have sprung up, and schools are sharpening their focus on primary care programs. Harvard, for instance, now ranked 15th in primary care, opened a $30 million center dedicated to primary care practice and instruction late last year. The University of Washington School of Medicine placed first both this year and last in the primary care rankings, once again finishing ahead of the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the Oregon Health and Science University. 

[See the full primary care rankings.] 

In contrast to the research rankings, many primary care schools made significant jumps in the rankings this year. Among the largest gainers are the East Carolina Brody School of Medicine, ascending from a 28th-place tie last year to a 10th-place tie this year; the University of Virginia, jumping from 39th to 20th; and the Brown University Alpert Medical School, moving up 21 spots to 28th.