SACRAMENTO -- In its annual ranking of the nation's best graduate schools, U.S. News & World Report magazine has for the 17th year in a row ranked the UC Davis School of Medicine among America's best medical schools.

The rankings place UC Davis School of Medicine at 35th in primary care and 48th in research. The rankings were reported online on April 23. They will appear in the May 1 issue of the weekly news magazine, available on newsstands April 28. They also will be published in the book, "America's Best Graduate Schools," also available on April 28.

The 125 medical schools fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, plus the 20 schools of osteopathic medicine fully accredited by the American Osteopathic Association, were surveyed for the ranking of research medical schools; 126 schools provided the data needed to calculate the research rankings based on the indicators used in the research model. The same medical and osteopathic schools were surveyed for the primary-care ranking; 126 schools provided the data needed to calculate the primary-care ranking.

Both rankings are based on a weighted average of indicators, four of them common to both models. The research model factors in research activity; the primary-care model adds a measure of the proportion of graduates entering primary-care specialties. The rankings were based on measures of quality as determined by:

* A peer assessment score derived from ratings by medical and osteopathic school deans;
* Deans of academic affairs, and heads of internal medicine or the directors of admissions;
* An assessment score by residency program directors;
* Total research activity;
* Average research activity per faculty;
* Primary-care rate -- the percentage of M.D. or D.O. school graduates entering primary-care residencies in the fields of family practice, pediatrics and internal medicine averaged over the 2006, 2007 and 2008 graduating classes;
* Student selectivity, as measured by mean Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) score, mean undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and acceptance rate;
* Faculty resources;
* Overall rank; and
* Specialty rankings based solely on ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty from the list of schools surveyed. They each identified up to 10 schools offering the best programs in each specialty area.

The UC Davis School of Medicine is among five medical schools in the University of California system, including the schools in San Diego, Irvine, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information about the methodology and individual listings, visit the U.S. News & World Report Web site.

UC Davis School of Medicine is among the nation's leading medical schools, recognized for its specialty- and primary-care programs.The school offers combined medical and master's degree programs in public health, business administration, and rural health, as well as a combined medical and doctoral degree for physician scientists interested in addressing specific scientific, social, ethical and political challenges of health care. Along with being a leader in health-care research, the school is known for its commitment to people from underserved communities and a passion for clinical care. For more information, visit the UC Davis School of Medicine.