Rankings

U.S. News ranks UC Davis School of Medicine a national leader in primary care training, research

According to the 2024 annual “Best Medical Schools” rankings released in July by U.S. News & World Report, UC Davis is in the Tier 1, or top, category for its leadership in educating students to work as primary care doctors.

UC Davis also ranked No. 22 in the country for medical school graduates who practice in primary care settings, up from No. 37 the year before.

The rankings are a testament to the success the school of medicine has achieved for years in training students, residents and fellows to help fill a workforce shortage of primary care physicians.

“The UC Davis School of Medicine continues to be a national leader in training the physician workforce needed to meet the needs of our diverse communities and advance health equity — especially in primary care,” said Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A., interim dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine.

“These rankings also show we continue to be among the leading medical research institutions committed to improving health and transforming lives.”

The latest rankings also place the school as the fourth most diverse in the country, behind three well-respected historically Black colleges and universities.

Finally, the school reached a record-high $401 million in external research funding last year and, according to the new U.S. News rankings, was placed in Tier 2 for research.

U.S. News ranks UC Davis Medical Center among nation’s best

UC Davis Medical Center has once again been recognized as one of the nation’s leading hospitals for outstanding patient care, according to the 2024–2025 U.S. News & World Report prestigious Best Hospitals survey.

As the region’s only comprehensive level I trauma center for both adult and pediatric patients, the medical center ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Sacramento, No. 8 in California and among top 50 hospitals nationwide in 8 adult specialties, including Ear, Nose & Throat (No. 15); Geriatrics (No. 24); Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (No. 24); Neurology & Neurosurgery (No. 28); Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (No. 35); Cancer (No. 37); Orthopedics (No. 39); and Diabetes & Endocrinology (No. 41).

For its quality of care in common adult procedures and conditions, UC Davis Medical Center was rated “high performing” — in this case, the highest rating possible — in 14 areas, including Acute Kidney Failure; Colon Cancer Surgery; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Gynecological Cancer Surgery; Heart Attack; Heart Failure; Hip Fracture; Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma; Lung Cancer Surgery; Pneumonia; Prostate Cancer Surgery; Spinal Fusion; Stroke; and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

“These rankings reflect the unrelenting efforts and collective commitment of the entire UC Davis Health team to improve the quality, safety and equity of the care we provide,” said David Lubarsky, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.S.A., CEO of UC Davis Health.

The medical center was also rated high performing in gastroenterology and GI surgery.

Digital Health Most Wired, Provider of the Year awards

For the 13th year in a row, UC Davis Health has received the Digital Health Most Wired recognition from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The Medical Center earned a certified Level 9 out of 10 for acute and ambulatory care.

The Digital Health Most Wired Survey (DHMW) is an international bench-marking and recognition program that serves as a comprehensive “digital health check-up” for health care organizations worldwide. It assesses how effectively health care organizations apply technologies to their clinical and business programs to improve health and care within their communities.

David Lubarsky, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.S.A., CEO of UC Davis Health and vice chancellor for human health sciences, and UC Davis Health also received the inaugural Provider of the Year Award at the HLTH Digital Health Awards for 2024 for how the health system is implementing innovative, digital capabilities. The Digital Health Hub Awards celebrate the achievements of innovative health tech companies that are transforming health care through the use of groundbreaking technology.

Nursing and med schools awarded for diversity education for third time

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis and UC Davis School of Medicine are among the nation’s top institutions in higher education for their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Receiving the 2024 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award marks the third time each school has earned the honor. The award, given by Insight Into Diversity magazine, is the only one of its kind in the nation. It honors colleges, universities, or health profession schools for their outstanding commitment to making diversity and inclusion a top priority across their campuses. The UC Davis schools are featured, along with 69 other recipients, in the November/December issue of the magazine.

UC Davis Medical Center named one of nation’s top hospitals

UC Davis Medical Center was recognized as one of the nation’s top hospitals by the 2023 edition of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Great hospitals in America” list. This year, UC Davis is one of 91 hospitals nationwide, one of 12 hospitals in California and the only hospital north of San Francisco to receive recognition on the list.

Medical center one of ‘America’s Best Maternity Hospitals

UC Davis Medical Center has been named one of “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2024” by Newsweek magazine and the global market research and consumer data firm Statista. The distinction recognizes 404 hospitals that provide exceptional care to mothers, newborns and their families. It is the fifth consecutive year UC Davis Medical Center has been included on this list.

Children’s Hospital listed among America’s best

UC Davis Children’s Hospital has been named one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals 2024 by Newsweek magazine and Statista. The hospital was ranked in three pediatric specialties: neonatology, neurology and cardiology. UC Davis Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in Sacramento to be recognized. The rankings honored 175 leading hospitals in various pediatric specialties.

No. 1 health system in California, and among ‘America’s Best-In-State Employers

Forbes has recognized UC Davis Health as one of “America’s Best-In-State Employers” for 2024 with a No. 1 ranking in California’s health care services category. Across all types of industries and organizations in California, UC Davis Health was ranked No. 20 by Forbes. Overall, 1,294 organizations made the national list. According to the publication, the most recent Forbes list was based on an independent survey of over 160,000 employees working for companies employing at least 500 people within the U.S. The survey was open to companies from all industry sectors, and around 4.4 million employer evaluations were analyzed.

UC Davis Health a ‘Best Employer for Women’

UC Davis Health has ranked No. 29 among all 600 listed organizations on Forbes’ list of Best Employers for Women — a testament to the efficacy of several multi-pronged, ongoing efforts to strengthen inclusivity across the community. Some of these efforts include the UC Women’s Initiative for Professional Development, UC Womxn in Tech and the Status of Women at Davis Administrative Committee. UC Davis Health has also created new diversity hiring resources, career advancement programs and family care services such as a lactation support program.

NRC Health Best in Class Award

NRC Health has once again awarded UC Davis Health the Consumer Loyalty Best in Class Award, which recognizes organizations for the commitment and initiative necessary to cultivate and maintain long-lasting loyalty among patients and communities. Each year, NRC Health ranks 100 health care facilities based on their consumer loyalty score. Only the top facilities receive the highest honor of Best in Class, and UC Davis Health was among only 11 organizations nationwide to receive the top honor. NRC Health is a market research organization that helps health care systems learn data-driven insights to improve outcomes.

National recognition for surgical oncology care

The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has been designated an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgical Quality Partner. The award is given to cancer programs that excel in quality of care, preventing complications, saving lives and reducing costs. ACS quality improvement programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and are an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. The designation follows the news that UC Davis Medical Center and the cancer center earned accreditation once again from the Commission on Cancer, a quality evaluation program of the ACS.