UMass Medical School Ranked 5th in US for Primary Care

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

GoLocalWorcester Health Team

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) ranked fifth in primary care education among 128 medical schools and 25 schools of osteopathic medicine surveyed by U.S. News & World Report in its 2015 edition of the “Best Graduate Schools” issue released Tuesday.

UMMS has been listed near the top of the category since 1994 when the magazine began publishing the much-anticipated rankings. UMMS is the only school in the top 50 that accepts only in-state students into its medical degree program.

“UMass Medical School’s top ranking reflects the great commitment and pride we take in our role as educators and mentors to the next generation of health care givers,” said UMMS Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD. “At a time when the knowledge, skills and humanity that primary care physicians bring to our health care system are needed more than ever, the role our students are poised to play in shaping the future of medicine has never been more profound.”

Also a leader in biological sciences and research

U.S. News also ranked UMMS 49 among top research schools and 50 in the biological sciences.

“A national leader in primary care education and in biomedical research, UMass Medical School continues to be lauded for the quality of its contributions to science and the remarkable achievements of its faculty and students,” said University of Massachusetts President Robert L. Caret, PhD. “This recognition is a testament to the vision that created our system of public higher education 150 years ago, and that is a vision of service to individuals, to communities, to our nation and the world.”

Recent class-size expansion

The Medical School, which had accepted just 100 students per year since the 1970s, recently expanded the class to 125 to help increase the pool of physicians, particularly primary care providers, trained to meet the needs of the commonwealth and the nation. Traditionally, more than 50 percent of each year’s graduates enter a primary care residency program. In addition, more than half of each class stays in the state for residency, totaling more than 300 new residents in the last five years alone. Graduates of UMMS are poised to excel in their medical careers, and at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 21—Match Day across the nation—all fourth-year students will discover where they will begin their medical careers.

“What distinguishes the School of Medicine most is the tireless dedication of our faculty and students to our core missions of education, research and patient care,” said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education, executive deputy chancellor, provost, and dean of the School of Medicine.

Related Slideshow: New England Colleges With the Best Undergraduate Teaching

U.S. News & World Report released a survey conducted in 2013 of college administrators on the best schools for undergraduate teaching. Several New England made their lists for best National Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, and Regional Universities. See which schools made the lists in the slides below:

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