Ohio State College of Medicine rises once again in U.S. News & World Report rankings

There is tremendous leadership and vision behind the growth and innovation taking place at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The 2023 U.S. News & World Report medical school rankings reflect that. Ohio State moved up three spots to become the 30th best medical school in research and 32nd best medical school in primary care, retaining the standing for best medical school in primary care in Ohio. The Ohio State College of Medicine is the 14th most diverse medical school, one of the highest rankings among the top 40 research schools in the country. Two specialties were ranked: Family Medicine at No. 18 and Pediatrics at No. 14.

This rise in rankings comes on the heels of deliberate strategic planning and goal setting on the part of college leadership, led by College of Medicine Dean Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS. Dr. Bradford, a well-known physician-scientist in the field of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, has proven to be a strong academic leader during her tenure at the college. The rankings reflect the expansion of the college’s neuroscience programs, educational programs, advances in telehealth in primary care and Telestroke and the expansion of its comprehensive health sciences campus.

Education

From core fundamentals to the latest technological advancements, students and residents continued to develop the vital skills needed to take on the world’s most common and pressing health challenges. This included the launch of a bold new curriculum for interprofessional education. As early as their first year, medical students learn alongside health care professional students as a team.

Andrea Pfeifle, EdD, PT, FNAP, became The Ohio State University’s first associate vice chancellor for Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE). She says the program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the role of pharmacists, therapists, nurses, public health experts, dentists, optometrists and even veterinary professionals, in team-based medical care.

“They are able to better communicate, work with and coordinate a team of health care professionals because it’s part of their formal IPE education,” Dr. Pfeifle said. “We’re optimizing each student’s education while ensuring they’re prepared to serve the diverse, changing needs of 21st century patients and communities.”

Strategic goal setting

The college launched a powerful ambition statement that ensures its place as a leading college of medicine that transforms the health of our communities through inclusive and innovative education, discovery and care. The newly developed strategic plan delivers on the college’s belief that a diverse team of faculty, staff and learners leads to better outcomes. The plan embodies seven strategic pillars, each with unique goals and strategies that center on diversity, equity, innovation, life-altering biomedical discoveries, attraction and retention of talent, and responsible stewardship of all resources.

“Not only does our strategic plan create a strong, distinctive college identity,” Dr. Bradford says. “It sets priorities and facilitates ownership so our teams can embrace a commitment to shared success.”

Commitment to expansion

The Ohio State University committed to lead Ohio in health care expansion with a $3 billion capital investment in education, research and patient care. As a result, Ohio State is transforming the way medical care is learned, advanced and delivered. This includes a new College of Medicine, an 820-plus bed inpatient tower, four new outpatient care centers and an interdisciplinary research building. The buildings and spaces are designed with the patient, learner, clinician and researcher in mind with the goal of innovating biomedical science and improving patient care.

Research

Record funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continued to support the many ongoing biomedical innovations and leading-edge discoveries taking place at the academic medical center. This includes research that could change the lives of those suffering from devastating neurological conditions. Andrew Sas, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology, and Benjamin Segal, MD, professor and chair of Neurology, and their teams discovered a new type of immune cell that promotes nervous system repair. Ohio State’s growing neuroscience effort includes incredible resources and talented individuals coming together under one roof. The Neurological Institute, which houses over 200 medical, surgical and research specialists, is one of the country’s first efforts to combine several neuroscience-related specialties into one program to tackle the world’s most pressing health challenges of the brain, spine, nerves and muscle.

Clinical Care

The college leads in clinical care and novel treatment. Biomedical advances fuel growth and innovation for organ transplants. This gives patients who have a failing heart, lung, kidney, liver or pancreas a second chance at life.

Kenneth Washburn, MD, professor of Surgery and director of the Division of Transplantation Surgery at the Ohio State College of Medicine, also serves as the executive director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center. He leads a team that’s investigating ways to not only improve immune system acceptance of new organs, but repair organs deemed unsuitable for transplantation due to age, disease presence and injury that can occur during organ procurement.

“Our ability to increase organ transplants lies in the ability to rehabilitate and repair organs so they can be used and save even more lives,” Dr. Washburn said.

The delivery of critical stroke expertise across Ohio continues to increase through Ohio State’s Telestroke Network, which saves lives by immediately increasing access to advanced stroke care in regions that don’t have neurovascular and neurosurgical physicians.

“When someone is taken to an emergency department with stroke symptoms, experts are mobilized there and at Ohio State through a ‘stroke alert,’” says Deepak Gulati, MD. “Experts skilled at treating the most complex strokes and cerebrovascular diseases deliver around-the-clock emergent surgical and endovascular stroke treatment in more than 25 hospitals across Ohio.”

The college’s Department of Pediatrics is housed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and its Abigail Wexner Research Institute, located just minutes from Ohio State’s campus. This partnership provides learners with immersive education and training opportunities at one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in the world, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which is currently ranked the eighth best children’s hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Students participate in formal lectures, attend grand rounds and learn at the bedside in both inpatient and outpatient settings where they come in contact with some of the most complex pediatric cases in Ohio.

The world is changing. Medicine is changing. The Ohio State College of Medicine is leading the way with a sharp vision for the future, affording countless opportunities to imagine and realize amazing new heights. Every day, the Ohio State College of Medicine’s more than 4,500 learners, nearly 2,400 faculty members and thousands of staff members fulfill each facet of their mission to improve lives — starting with the nearly 2 million people in central Ohio and reaching beyond to the entire state, the Midwest, the nation and the world.