Dear UW School of Medicine students,
An announcement was made this morning that the UW School of Medicine will no longer participate in the U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) “Best Graduate Schools,” beginning with the 2024 rankings that will be released in March 2023.
Our leadership has given this many hours of consideration and discussion. We have determined we can no longer take part in a ranking process that perpetuates inherent bias through an emphasis on prestige and reputation without objective evaluation. We are joining with other medical schools who share these sentiments, including Harvard, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania and Stanford and expect other medical schools will be making the same decision.
Please know that this does not affect any aspect of your medical education. This decision is based on what we feel is best for our school.
We have taken pride in being the No. 1 medical school in the country for primary care education, family medicine, and rural medicine training for most of the 30+ years the rankings have existed. However, over the past decade we have placed increasingly greater emphasis on, and are steadfastly committed to being, an inclusive and diverse medical school. This includes being transparent and accountable in all our efforts. We remain committed to training future physicians who will go on to provide excellent care in their communities throughout the WWAMI region.
