Rankings

A sampling of recent major achievements and developments from UC Davis Health and the UC Davis School of Medicine. For more listings and news, please visit our newsroom and follow us on social media.

Top honors for health care education

U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings in April — and the UC Davis School of Medicine and Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis further advanced their stature as premier training grounds for students who aspire to become primary care physicians and vital health care providers.

UC Davis School of Medicine rankings:

In Tier 1 (the top tier) for excellence in primary care training. The “Best Medical Schools: Primary Care” category lists 101 schools and ranks them in four tiers; UC Davis School of Medicine was one of 16 in the uppermost tier.
17th in the country for “most graduates practicing in primary care.”
In the second of four tiers in the category for medical school research. According to the UC Davis School of Medicine, it had $400 million in total external research funding in fiscal year 2023–24.

“We are honored that UC Davis School of Medicine continues to be recognized as a national leader in training primary care physicians who are passionate about and uniquely prepared to meet the needs of our communities. We are also pleased to be ranked among the country’s top medical schools for driving innovations in biomedical research, which is essential to advancing new life-saving health care treatments and cures.”—UC Davis School of Medicine Dean Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A.

Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis rankings:

For the fifth straight year, the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing is among the nation’s 30 best — tied at No. 30 with three other schools.
The school’s PA program landed at No. 35, tied with several other schools. The publication bases this list on peer-assessment scores and ranks them every two years.

“We remain proud of the exceptional academic environment we provide and the valued recognition from our peers. Rankings are one lens — and a changing one at that. What remains unchanged is our unwavering commitment to student success, innovation in teaching and our thriving, inclusive campus community. We continue to evolve to meet the needs of California’s workforce.”—Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Dean Stephen Cavanagh, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.

UC Davis Medical School among the nation’s best, according to 2024 Blue Ridge rankings

Once again, the UC Davis School of Medicine has placed among the nation’s leading medical schools for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. According to the latest Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research ranking, for the 2024 federal fiscal year, the medical school ranked 33rd nationally. Its NIH funding — nearly $210 million — was a new record for the school.

“These new rankings reflect our continued national leadership in life-saving research breakthroughs,” said Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A., dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, in March. “From our BrainGate clinical trial of the most accurate brain-computer interface of its kind that translates brain signals into speech, to our development of the world’s first stem cell treatment for spina bifida during fetal surgery, our school’s research community is making discoveries that are transforming lives. Support for biomedical research has never been more important — lives depend upon it.”

UC Davis School of Medicine departments in the Top 20

Eight School of Medicine departments ranked in the top 20 nationally in their respective fields, with two in the top 10. The top three departments in terms of overall NIH funding were Neurology ($35 million), Public Health Sciences ($28.4M) and Internal Medicine ($25M). Public Health Sciences ranked the highest in NIH funding among all the other similar programs at UC campuses.

Departments in Top 20 for NIH funding:

Public Health Sciences #4
Neurology #8
Cell Biology and Human Anatomy #11
Urologic Surgery #12
Physiology and Membrane Biology #13
Emergency Medicine #17
Neurosurgery #17
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation #19

Top NIH-funded principal investigators and centers

This fiscal year, 271 principal investigators (PIs) were awarded 405 NIH grants. The top 10 PIs in terms of NIH funding include:

For the second year in a row, Rachel Whitmer, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, was the PI with the highest NIH funding at UC Davis. With a total of around $13.7M, she also retained the top ranking for NIH-funded investigators in Public Health Sciences nationwide. Whitmer, who co-directs the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), studies dementia, cognitive impairment and brain pathology among ethnic groups.
Charles DeCarli, M.D., was the PI for $13.21M. These grants fund his study on incidental white matter lesions on MRI amongst people with cognitive complaints (INDEED) and research at the ADRC. DeCarli is the co-director of the ADRC and a distinguished professor in the Department of Neurology.
Dennis Hartigan-O’Connor, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, was the PI for $3.67M in NIH support. He studies immunotherapies for chronic infections, autoimmunity and cancer.
Alexander Borowsky, M.D., a professor and director of Molecular Diagnostics in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, was awarded $3.11M for his research on California partnerships for personalized nutrition.

Among the top 10 PIs, the following direct world-class centers and programs at UC Davis Health:

KC Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D., ($5.13M), Mouse Biology Program
Ted Wun, M.D., F.A.C.P., ($5.12M), Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC)
Primo Lara, M.D., ($4.34M), Comprehensive Cancer Center
Irva Hertz-Picciotto, M.P.H., Ph.D., ($4.27M), Environmental Health Sciences Core Center
Alice Tarantal, Ph.D., ($3.58M), Primate Center for Gene Therapy
Melissa Bauman, PH.D., ($3.12M), Conte Center

“At a time when NIH support for biomedical research is more vital than ever, we celebrate another exceptional year for UC Davis School of Medicine in terms of NIH funding,” said Kim E. Barrett, Ph.D., vice dean for research and distinguished professor of physiology and membrane biology, in March. “While NIH is by no means the only funder of our research, it is the largest single source. It is critical to the vitality of our research mission and our quest for cures for conditions that cause great suffering. This translation of our work is about to get a major boost as we move many research programs into (the) Aggie Square (innovation district).”

One of the top 20 large U.S. employers in new Forbes rankings

UC Davis Health was recently named to Forbes’ “America’s Best Large Employers” list for 2025.

The publication ranked UC Davis Health as the No. 19 employer nationally among 700 institutions with at least 5,000 employees and the top hospital or health system in California. UC Davis Health is also the No. 1 hospital or health system employer in California according to Forbes.

UC Davis Health’s success as a large health care employer is directly tied to its many efforts to cultivate a model workplace across the organization. The health system provides employees competitive benefits packages which include tuition reimbursement, financial planning, employee discounts, lactation support, generous paid time off and low-cost primary care and childcare. In addition, UC Davis embraces principles of community throughout the institution, specifically its values of kindness, trust and inclusion.
One of “America’s Dream Employers”

The Forbes America’s Dream Employers 2025 award is based on in-depth feedback from employees, assessing areas like career growth, work-life balance, diversity and workplace culture. Awardees are determined through a rigorous survey of both college students and employees, gathering more than 266,000 data points to identify the best employers.

UC Davis Health was also recognized by Forbes as 51 on the 2024 list of America’s Best Large Employers, 20 on the 2024 list of California’s Best Employers, a Best Employer for Diversity 2024 and 2025, and a Best Employer for Women 2024.
A top-performing hospital

UC Davis Medical Center is a top-performing hospital according to national research released by Healthgrades. The medical center received accolades for high-quality patient care, known as Specialty Excellent Awards, in eight specialty areas, plus a specialty award for cardiac care. In addition, for the third year in a row the medical center was named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for critical care, gastrointestinal care, gastrointestinal surgery, pulmonary care, stroke care, cranial neurosurgery excellence and neurosciences excellence.
One of Newsweek’s World Best Hospitals 2025

Newsweek has again named UC Davis Medical Center to its annual list of the “World’s Best Hospitals.” In the U.S., UC Davis Medical Center ranked 34th, and was the Sacramento region’s only to earn recognition. Newsweek, in partnership with Statista, Inc., used an online survey of medical experts, patient experience data, hospital quality metrics and a patient-reported outcomes survey to evaluate hospitals in 30 countries.
One of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women, Inclusion and Diversity

UC Davis Health has been named to two of Newsweek’s workplace lists for 2025: America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion & Diversity. Newsweek’s awards are based on an in-depth evaluation of public data, employee feedback, and human resources insights. Selection criteria include compensation and benefits, training and career progression, corporate culture, work-life balance, and overall workplace environment. These honors speak to our ongoing commitment to creating a workplace where people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences are supported, valued, and empowered to thrive.
Exceptional life support care

UC Davis Medical Center has received the Gold Level ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support from the non-profit Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO), a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and improvement of extracorporeal life support. The award signifies a commitment to exceptional care and demonstrates an assurance of high quality standards, specialized equipment and supplies, defined patient protocols, and advanced education of all staff members.
Medical Center redesignated Baby-Friendly Hospital

UC Davis Medical Center has been officially redesignated as a Baby-Friendly Hospital, following a rigorous review by Baby-Friendly USA. Accreditation lasts five years; UC Davis Medical Center was first designated in 2020. The honor demonstrates continued adherence to the highest breastfeeding standards of care, built on practices consistent with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and compliant with the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.