Nearly one-fourth of the 100 most reputable academic medical centers in the world are located in the United States.
Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy, recently released its Global Top 250 Hospitals 2024 report. The ranking, in its second year, assessed more than 500 academic medical centers in more than 40 countries, ranking each across more than 30 metrics that aim to capture brand strength and reputation.
"The objective of the study is to create a way to holistically understand what makes the world's top academic medical centres leaders in their field," David Haigh, chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, wrote in the report. "It was designed through intensive collaboration with stakeholders of AMCs around the world, and a one-of-a-kind market research study to understand the real perceptions of healthcare professionals globally."
For the second year in a row, Mayo Clinic claimed the top spot and Massachusetts General Hospital took second place. U.S.-based hospitals composed seven of the top 10, accompanied by one hospital in India and two in Singapore.
Mayo Clinic's first-place finish is attributable in part to its advancements in AI, telemedicine, digital imaging and robotics. The health system embraces new technology more than other regional leaders, contributing to its international renown, per the report.
Each academic medical centers was assigned a Brand Strength Index based on survey responses from 2,500 healthcare professionals in 30 different countries. The number of respondents in each market was skewed toward healthcare spend, so the U.S. had more than other countries. The majority of respondents were general practitioners or specialists, though 1% of the pool was composed of practicing and non-practicing administrative staff.
The ranking also considers qualitative interviews with stakeholders regarding several attributes driving reputation, including whether the academic medical center has international recognition; attracts top medical students; has specialists who are world leaders in their field; is known for scientific breakthroughs; and is a place where healthcare providers are proud to have trained or worked.
The Brand Strength Index is split into three pillars: investment, which measures whether an academic medical center is attempting to improve facilities, services and accessibility (25% weight); equity, the degree to which stakeholders are aware of the brand and how they perceive it (50%); and performance, the center's ability to improve its reputation and attract top talent (25%).
Each pillar is further separated into subcategories: overall (31%), care (18%), research (15%) and teaching (12%). The equity pillar also accounts for brand awareness and familiarity at a local, regional and international levels, with the highest consideration given to international familiarity.
The following are the 24 most reputable academic medical centers in the U.S., according to Brand Finance's analysis. Each is listed alongside its international rank out of 100.
1. Mayo Clinic Health System (Rochester, Minn.)
2. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
5. Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston)
6. Stanford University Medical Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
7. UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco)
8. Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
10. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
11. Cleveland Clinic
18. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell (New York City)
23. University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia)
25. University of California Health (Oakland)
26. MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston)
27. Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System
28. University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
32. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston)
39. Mount Sinai Health System (New York City)
45. Washington University Medical Center (St. Louis)
48. The University of Chicago Medical Center
50. Duke University Hospital (Durham, N.C.)
65. University of Texas System (Austin)
75. Northwestern Medicine (Chicago)
79. Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta)
87. NYU Langone Health System (New York City)
98. Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor)
The full report can be downloaded here.