University
Keck School Advances in Best Grad Schools List
- The Keck School now ranks 34th in research, according to a U.S. News & World Report list.
By Leslie Ridgeway on April 16, 2010 8:35 AM
The Keck School of Medicine of USC improved its ranking by five places in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report annual guide to best graduate schools.
The Keck School now ranks 34th in research, moving up five spots from the previous rankings. The school was listed in a three-way tie with Boston University and Dartmouth Medical Center.
USC’s Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy ranked number one in the annual listing, a ranking it has held since 2004.
The new rankings, which will appear in the May issue of U.S. News & World Report, are available at http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools
“Moving up five places in this ranking of American medical schools is a strong indication that the significant accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students are attracting national attention,” said Keck School dean Carmen A. Puliafito. “This ranking, on the heels of the recent eight-year accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, shows that the Keck School is advancing with tremendous momentum.”
In fall 2008 and early 2009, 126 medical schools and 20 schools of osteopathic medicine were surveyed for the ranking. Medical schools are ranked based on student selectivity admission statistics (MCAT, grade point average and acceptance rate) and faculty to student ratio, as well as National Institute of Health research grants.
The Keck School's recent success in obtaining record research funding is a significant factor in the school’s improved rankings. The school’s numbers for National Institutes of Health research grants spiked, from $144 million in federal fiscal year 2008 to $177.5 million in federal fiscal year 2009, the period reported for the 2011 rankings.
National Institutes of Health research grants per faculty member also jumped from $121,000 to $144,000. The grants number includes awards to Keck School affiliates Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, the Doheny Eye Institute and the House Ear Institute.
Sixty-six percent of the Keck School’s fiscal year 2009 award total of $195.5 million in sponsored program funding comes from federal sources, primarily the National Institutes of Health. Recent grant funding includes:
• $16 million from the National Cancer Institute to establish the Physical Science-Oncology Center, led by prostate cancer specialist David Agus and physical scientist Daniel Hillis. The five-year grant focuses on creating a set of “virtual cancer” models that will be used to simulate cancer growth and predict drug responses for patients.
• $10.4 million from the National Cancer Institute to enhance the USC Epigenome Center. The grant made it possible for the center to join The Cancer Genome Atlas, a nationwide consortium that will map molecular changes in cancer.
• $9 million in National Institutes of Health American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and James Knowles of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science to create a map of how genes are expressed in different regions of the brain throughout development.
In another indication of success for the Keck School, in early April the school was awarded the maximum eight-year full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the best results achieved since 10-year accreditation was granted in 1981.
In addition to the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy’s number one ranking, the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy ranked number three in the nation. Both divisions are housed within the USC School of Dentistry.
The health rankings in physical therapy and occupational therapy are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline.
TAGS: honors and awards, medicine
Latest University stories
- Journalism Major Finds His Corner of USC February 8, 2012 11:01 AM
- Professor Strives to Expand Diversity in Teacher Education February 7, 2012 9:34 AM
- Nikias Returns to the USC Family of Schools February 2, 2012 5:24 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries