NEWARK-The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey figured prominently inthe newest list by U.S. News & World Report of America's best graduate schools. The magazine's list of top medical schools for 2009 included the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine among the nation’s best for Geriatrics, while the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School was selected for both Research and Primary Care. In the magazine’s list of the nation’s best graduate health education programs, the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions was picked for its Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Counseling and Physician Assistant programs.

“While we do not work for such accolades, we are of course pleased to be once again included in U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s best graduate schools,” said Dr. William F. Owen, president of UMDNJ. “Any recognition from our peers around the country underscores the meaningful and significant strides our university continues to make. My congratulations and thanks go to all of the faculty, staff and students whose efforts directly impact the quality of our educational experience.”

To create the list of America’s best medical schools, U.S. News & World Report compiled responses from 126 medical schools fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and by the American Osteopathic Association. The rankings are based on a weighted average of such indicators as peer and residency director assessment, faculty research activity, student admission test scores, student undergraduate grade-point average and the ratio of full-time faculty to students. The health program rankings are based on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline.

A complete list of all categories considered for this year’s edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” is available on the U.S. News & World Report website at http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health, on five campuses. Last year, there were more than two million patient visits to UMDNJ facilities and faculty at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a mental health and addiction services network.