UNMC gets high rankings in national report

The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s primary care program was ranked seventh out of 124 institutions nationwide, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report best graduate schools rankings.

Primary care is considered family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics or internal medicine pediatrics, said a media release from the UNMC.

UNMC also tied for seventh out of 161 schools ranked for most graduates practicing in rural areas.

The U.S. News each year ranks professional school programs and specialties in six major disciplines, including medicine, education and law. The report considers expert opinions and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. 

“The primary care and rural rankings are particularly gratifying because we have a long-standing commitment to primary care education and rural communities,” said Dr. Dele Davies, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs

In other news, an independent analysis reports that UNMC and its primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, had an economic impact on the state of more than $5.9 billion in the last fiscal year. That’s a 34% increase over 2018, said the report by Tripp Umbach, a national consultant used by UNMC.

Umbach said the economic impact grows to $6.4 billion annually when adding academic-related functions such as residency programs and research at UNMC affiliates of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and the VA Health System.

UNMC, Nebraska Medicine and affiliates supported more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state, the Umbach analysis said, and generated more than $220 million in state and local tax revenue.