For the 10th consecutive year, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine has ranked as the nations top primary-care medical school in U.S.News & World Reports annual survey of graduate and professional schools. In the annual rankings, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine also continues to be regarded as the best in the United States for teaching medical students about family medicine and about rural medicine.
The medical schools clinical training programs take place in several towns and cities in western Washington, as well as at sites across eastern Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (the WWAMI region). Physicians practicing in local communities volunteer to provide much of the training for 窪蹋勛圖厙 medical students.
In the U.S. News analysis of National Institutes of Health (NIH) federal funding, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine ranked first in the nation among public medical schools and second overall around the nation for receipt of federal funding. The 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine received $431.5 million in NIH funding during 2002. The only medical school to receive more funding was Harvard.
U.S. News compared the nations medical schools on several factors, including student selectivity, percentage of graduates entering primary care, faculty/student ratios, National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants, and reputation. Reputation was based on a peer assessment questionnaire sent to the countrys medical school deans, senior faculty members, and residency program directors. Medical school deans and senior faculty members from across the country were also surveyed on which medical schools had the best training programs in specific fields, such as family medicine.
The dedication of our faculty and staff to clinical care, research and teaching, and the caliber of our graduates, have been reflected in these rankings year after year for a decade now. Everyone who is part of the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine is gratified for this recognition of all their hard work, said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine. We also owe this honor to our public service efforts that are imbued with a spirit of collaboration with many institutions, agencies and individuals working together for the common good.
Along with rating medical schools generally, the survey measured reputations in teaching specific medical disciplines. The 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine ranked No. 1 in family medicine and in rural medicine, No. 5 in teaching about AIDS, and tied for No. 5 in womens health. The school ranked No. 6 in internal medicine and in geriatrics, and tied for No. 6 in pediatrics.
The 窪蹋勛圖厙s graduate program in bioengineering, jointly administered by the College of Engineering and the School of Medicine, ranked No. 5.
The 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Medicine is part of 窪蹋勛圖厙 Medicine, which also includes 窪蹋勛圖厙 Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, 窪蹋勛圖厙 Physicians, 窪蹋勛圖厙 Physicians Neighborhood Clinics, and the 窪蹋勛圖厙s membership in the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the Childrens University Medical Group. 窪蹋勛圖厙 Medicine has major academic and service affiliations with the Childrens Hospital and Regional Medical Center, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Veterans Administration Medical Centers in Seattle and Boise. The School of Medicine is consistently among the top five recipients of federal funding for biomedical research; its 1,600 regular faculty include four Nobel Laureates, 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 26 members of the Institute of Medicine.
In November, the school received the Association of American Medical Colleges 2002 Award for Outstanding Community Service. The award, given annually to just one medical school in the country, honored efforts to ameliorate health-care inequities in remote small towns, in inner city neighborhoods, and among needy populations throughout the WWAMI region as well as nationally and globally.