UNM School of Medicine moves up in national rankings

That’s according to the 2014 U.S. News & World report, an annual and national ranking system that considers everything from enrollment to student GPA and MCAT scores. The report was released Tuesday.

The School of Medicine’s primary care program was ranked 19th out of more than 120 medical schools nationwide. That’s up from last year, when the school was ranked 31st.

The school’s rural medicine program was, for the 20th or so time, ranked second in the nation, “underscoring UNM’s commitment to programs that serve New Mexico’s rural communities,” according to a news release.

UNM’s family medicine curriculum ranked 7th, a small climb up from the 2011 rankings, which had the school at the 10th spot. The medical school is now ranked above Duke University, the University of Michigan and the University of Missouri.

“New Mexico is very unique in both its health needs and health care accessibility,” medical school dean and Health Sciences Center chancellor Paul Roth said in the news release. “To be recognized nationally for medical education and training programs tailored specifically to our populations is quite an honor, and punctuates the foresight of the Health Sciences Center’s long-standing vision and mission.”

UNM ranked 78th in research.

The school has 374 students and 860 full-time faculty members.