U.S.News & World Report has teamed up with some of the nation's top hospitals and medical institutions to provide you and your loved ones with expert, in-depth, and trustworthy information on the medical topics you care about. Working with doctors and other experts from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Joslin Diabetes Center, the Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and Stanford Hospital & Clinics, our editors have developed comprehensive guides to conditions ranging from asthma and arthritis to breast cancer, diabetes, and stroke. As our Best Health website continues to grow, we and our seven premier partners—the "best of the best" of U.S. News's Best Hospitals and Best Medical Schools—aim to create nothing less than the site you will always turn to for health and healthcare information.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, a major teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, has been transforming medicine since 1832, with clinical milestones like the first successful human organ transplant and heart valve surgery, and research breakthroughs in nearly every aspect of medicine. In addition to its worldwide reputation in women's health, Brigham and Women's centers in cardiovascular, neuroscience and orthopedic-arthritis care draw patients from around the world. As an academic medical center, many of our physician and biomedical science trainees go on to leadership positions at institutions in the U.S. and overseas. Recognized globally as a leader in patient safety, Brigham and Women's pioneered innovations like computerized physician order entry and electronic medication administration systems—all dedicated to bringing the best in medical care to each patient.

The Cleveland Clinic is one of the largest and busiest health centers in America. Founded in 1921, it integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education in a private, not-for-profit group practice. With more than 1,400 full-time salaried physicians in 120 medical specialties and sub-specialties, it welcomes 3 million outpatient visits and 55,000 hospital admissions a year. A leading inpatient and outpatient surgery center, it sees 68,000 surgical cases a year. Patients come to the Cleveland Clinic from all 50 United States and 80 different countries. The fifth largest research institute in America, it is also a major center for resident and fellowship training, and operates a medical school program to graduate physician-investigators.

Consistently ranked as one of the nation's leading academic health systems, Duke Medicine strives to transform medicine and health locally and globally through innovative scientific research, rapid translation of breakthrough discoveries, educating future clinical and scientific leaders, advocating and practicing evidence-based medicine to improve community health, and leading efforts to eliminate health inequalities. Home to the world's largest academic clinical research organization and renowned programs in cancer, cardiovascular care, and neurosciences, among others, Duke is among the nation's leading recipients of biomedical research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Our 1,650 faculty physicians see approximately 60,000 inpatients and over 1.3 million outpatient visits each year, and together with our entire team are dedicated to bringing each patient the benefits of the latest medical advances in an atmosphere of caring and compassion.

When The Johns Hopkins Hospital and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine were established more than a century ago, the founding physicians had a goal: to lead the world in treating disease. That dream meant bringing together the best minds to understand the mechanisms of illness. It meant blazing trails to remarkable new therapies. Today, the name Johns Hopkins is synonymous with just that. Johns Hopkins Medicine continues to provide international leadership in the education of physicians and medical scientists, in biomedical research, and in the application of medical knowledge to sustain health.

Joslin Diabetes Center, dedicated to conquering diabetes in all of its forms, has helped revolutionize the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diabetes worldwide since its founding more than a century ago. Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. As a nonprofit, Joslin benefits from the generosity of donors in advancing its mission. For more information on Joslin, call 1-800-JOSLIN-1 or visit www.joslin.org.

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 2,500 physicians and scientists and 42,000 allied health staff work at the original clinic in Rochester, Minn., and newer clinics in Jacksonville, Fla., and Arizona. Collectively, the three clinics treat more than half a million people each year.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world's preeminent centers for cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. A multidisciplinary approach to research-driven patient care is a hallmark of the institution, which was designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of the country's first Comprehensive Cancer Centers. M. D. Anderson faculty hold more NCI research grants and funding than any other academic center in the U.S. More than 15,000 employees and 1,600 volunteers are dedicated to three core values—Caring, Integrity and Discovery—and work together to fulfill the institution's mission of Making Cancer History.

National Jewish Medical and Research Center, in Denver, Colorado, is the only institution in the United States devoted entirely to respiratory, allergic and immune-system diseases, including asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, severe allergies, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Founded in 1899, National Jewish is a nonprofit and nonsectarian institution dedicated to enhancing prevention, treatment, and cures for these diseases through research, education, and innovative clinical programs for all patients regardless of age, race, religion or ability to pay.

Stanford Hospital & Clinics is recognized around the world for its innovations in medical care. At Stanford we rapidly translate the knowledge gained through research and teaching to the prevention and treatment of disease. We provide the latest in technology and the most advanced treatment options currently available in over 50 areas of specialty and sub-specialty care.