New York, NY—Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will no longer submit data to U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) for their medical school rankings. In an internal announcement, Katrina Armstrong, MD, Dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Executive Vice President of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University, noted that “The reasons for this decision principally include the selection of rankings criteria with implicit incentives misaligned with the highest goals of medical education,” and added that a driving factor in the decision goes to the essence of the medical school.
“The USNWR medical school rankings perpetuate a narrow and elitist perspective on medical education,” said Armstrong. “Their emphasis is on self-reinforcing criteria such as reputation and institutional wealth, rather than measuring a school’s success in educating a diverse and well-trained cohort of doctors able to change medicine for the better and meet society’s needs. Their focus on standardized test scores comes at a time when it is widely understood that prioritizing these scores rewards well-resourced applicants without regard for selecting the individuals who can best serve the future needs of a diverse and changing world.”
The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first medical school in the nation to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of qualified applicants. The goals of this program funded by Dr. P. Roy and Diana Vagelos are twofold—to make medical education at VP&S accessible to talented students irrespective of socioeconomic background, and to encourage our graduates to choose a career path that reflects their true passion and highest calling, not the income level dictated by the demands of student loans. This approach is consistent with our embrace of community engagement and public service, an ethic born of our history, our values, and our physical location in Washington Heights, one of the nation’s most diverse and culturally rich neighborhoods. We are rightly proud of the medical school’s reputation, but our dedication to improving health and addressing pressing societal needs points us to the future, not the past.
“In making this decision, we recognize the need to establish effective means for sharing information about VP&S with prospective applicants seeking to identify a medical school that fits their educational ambitions,” said Armstrong. “I look forward to productive discussions and innovative thinking across the larger medical education community on this matter.
“I have the greatest respect and deepest admiration for my many colleagues here at VP&S and at other academic medical centers who have devoted their careers to training new generations of physicians and have done so with the insight and sophistication earned from their experience. And I am excited to continue down the shared path of reshaping how we train doctors who can serve the world.”
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Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is a clinical, research, and educational campus located in New York City, and is one of the oldest academic medical centers in the United States. CUIMC is home to four professional colleges and schools (Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mailman School of Public Health, College of Dental Medicine, and School of Nursing) that are global leaders in their fields. CUIMC is committed to providing inclusive and equitable health and medical education, scientific research, and patient care, and working together with our local upper Manhattan community—one of New York City’s most diverse neighborhoods. For more information, please visit cuimc.columbia.edu.
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the medical school of Columbia University, and located at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, a clinical, research, and educational campus located in New York City. Founded in 1767, VP&S was the first medical school in the United States to award the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. VP&S is committed to providing inclusive and equitable health and medical education, scientific research, and patient care, and working together with our local upper Manhattan community—one of New York City’s most diverse neighborhoods. For more information, please visit vagelos.columbia.edu.
