For the third year in a row, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its annual survey of research-oriented medical schools. This is also the 15th consecutive year that the Perelman School was ranked among the top five medical schools. It was also ranked #11 among schools with a focus on primary care. According to the U.S. News survey, the top five medical schools for research, in order, are: Harvard University; the Perelman School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University, tied at #2; Stanford University; and the University of California at San Francisco. The Perelman School also ranked among the nation’s top medical schools in five areas of specialty training, including pediatrics (#2), women’s health (#4), internal medicine (#5), drug and alcohol abuse (#5), and AIDS (#9). U.S. News surveyed 126 medical schools and 23 schools of osteopathic medicine. The indicators used include student selectivity admission statistics (MCAT, GPA, and acceptance rate), facultyto-student ratio, and research activity.
Two Magnets and More The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been accredited as a Magnet® organization for the second time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet recognition, which has become the gold standard for nursing excellence, is bestowed upon less than seven percent of hospitals in the nation. One month later, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center officially received Magnet status as well. It is the center’s first such designation. In an e-mail message,
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Photograph by Candace diCarlo
Making the Grade – Again
Mitchell Schnall has been a leader in imaging and characterizing tumors.
officials of the Health System and PPMC noted: “We are proud of all the accomplishments and changes we’ve implemented during our journey to providing top-quality patient care and a culture of excellence.” Calling HUP’s Magnet recognition “a tremendous honor,” Victoria Rich, Ph.D., R.N., chief nurse executive of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, said, “We’re committed to delivering the highest standard of nursing excellence to our community, and achieving this status for another four years highlights our dedication to providing supreme patient-centered care.” To be re-designated as a Magnet organization, HUP’s leadership and staff went through a rigorous and lengthy review process that involved an electronic application and written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes. Following approval of the application and documentation, appraisers from the credentialing center also conducted an on-site visit. Penn Presbyterian also was named one of the nation’s top 100 hospitals in the annual 100 Top Hospitals study conducted by Thomson Reuters, a first for
Penn Medicine. The study evaluates performances over five years in quality, safety, patient experience, and fiscal operations. There are five separate peer comparison groups, and PPMC was listed among major teaching hospitals.
NCI Grant Funds New Center for Screening Breast Cancer Penn Medicine researchers have received a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to create the Penn Center for Innovation in Personalized Breast Cancer Screening. The center’s team will use clinical, genomic, and imaging information to guide the use of new personalized strategies for breast cancer screening. The goal is to reduce false positive rates and improve outcomes. The research, which also involves experts from medical oncology and psychiatry, as well as colleagues in the Annenberg School for Communication and the Wharton School, will be conducted through August 2016. The team leaders are Katrina Armstrong, M.D., M.S.C.E., professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Internal Medicine, and associate