OSU-CHS earns a top spot in US News & World Report medical school rankings
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Media Contact: Sara Plummer | Communications Coordinator | 918-637-8971 | sara.plummer@okstate.edu
OSU Center for Health Sciences has earned the No. 1 ranking in the percentage of graduates practicing medicine in Health Professional Shortage Areas and No. 10 in graduates practicing in rural areas from U.S. News and World Report’s annual medical school rankings.
HPSAs designate areas and population groups, both rural and urban, that are experiencing a shortage of health professionals and can also be called medical deserts. About 50% of OSU-COM graduates are practicing in HPSAs, according to US News data.
“Being recognized by U.S. News and World Report for the hard work and dedication of our graduates to serve patients in physician shortage areas, these rural and underserved communities, is a testament to the mission of OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine,” OSU-CHS President Johnny Stephens said. “I’m so proud of our institution, our graduates, our faculty and staff for their unwavering commitment to this mission. By emphasizing innovation and passion for community, OSU-COM produces graduates eager to work in these medical deserts.”
Once again OSU-CHS was also ranked as a top 10 medical school whose graduates practice in rural areas.
According to the National Rural Health Association, the patient-to-primary care physician ratio in rural areas is 39.8 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to 53.3 physicians per 100,000 people in urban areas. This uneven distribution of physicians has had an impact on the health of those living in rural areas.
“For more than 50 years, OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine has made it a priority to educate and train doctors to go out and serve in rural Oklahoma where there’s the greatest need,” said Dr. Dennis Blankenship, Dean of OSU-COM. “We believe in empowering those living in rural and underserved areas who may have dreams of becoming a doctor or a passion for serving others. Recruiting future physicians from small towns and communities in Oklahoma means there’s a greater chance they return to their hometowns and rural communities to practice medicine where they are needed most.”
The 2023-24 U.S. News and World Report rankings are from a survey of 192 accredited allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the United States, which grant M.D. and D.O. degrees, respectively.
For the third consecutive year, U.S. News published rankings that focus on medical school characteristics and where doctors practice, working with the Robert Graham Center, a division of the American Academy of Family Physicians, as the data provider to measure how medical schools are performing on key health care issues they and their graduates face.