SMPH in “Social Mission” Top 20

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) placed in the top 20 medical schools for fulfilling its social mission. An inaugural study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine ranked 141 United States medical schools on three measures: the percentage of graduates who practice primary care, work in health professional shortage areas or are underrepresented minorities. Each school received a “social missions score.”

The research team, based at George Washington University, analyzed data on medical school graduates from 1999 to 2001 to capture the most recent group of graduates who had completed all types of residency training and national service obligations.

“This is a new way of evaluating medical schools, and we are proud that Wisconsin is ranked so highly on measures that reflect our commitment to serve the needs of our state,” said Dr. Robert Golden, SMPH dean.

SMPH has established two innovative programs that focus on preparing medical students for practice in underserved rural and urban settings: the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine and Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health.