Cooper University Health Care’s affiliated medical school, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), has been ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and No. 50 nationally by U.S. News & World Report in the 2023-2024 Best Medical Schools: Primary Care rankings. Cooper’s physicians serve as clinical faculty for CMSRU.
Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Medical Schools: Primary Care review is part of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings, which evaluate programs in a variety of disciplines, including business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and nursing.
“As one of the newest medical schools in the nation, winning recognition as the top medical school in New Jersey and among the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report is quite an achievement,” said George E. Norcross III, chairman of the Cooper University Health Care Board of Trustees. “One of Cooper’s hallmarks has been its commitment to the future of its community as it improves access to care. There’s no greater way to do both of those things than training the next generation of doctors and health care providers.”
Since its first commencement in 2016, CMSRU has graduated more than 625 physicians, all with a commitment to practicing confidently and compassionately, and with a drive to effect change in their communities. CMSRU has been listed among the “Top 10 Most Competitive” medical schools for admission in U.S. News & World Report and was the recipient of the 2019 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Association of American Medical Colleges. CMSRU earned full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in June 2016 and received full re-accreditation for the maximum eight years in November 2021.
“Since 2016, CMSRU has become an elite medical school in the state and the nation in just a few short years. Congratulations to our colleagues at CMSRU for achieving this prestigious ranking from U.S. News & World Report, particularly with its focus on primary care,” said Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, co-CEO of Cooper, who also serves as associate dean for clinical affairs and associate professor of emergency medicine at the medical school.
According to the American Medical Association, the United States will face a shortage of between 17,800 and 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034. Cooper University Health Care has addressed the need for high-quality primary care by expanding its internal medicine, family medicine, and Cooper Care Alliance networks of physicians and advanced practice providers throughout South Jersey.
“We are encouraged that more medical students are pursuing primary care for their residency training. Through their efforts, the CMSRU team is doing their part to address the need for primary care physicians here in New Jersey,” Dr. Mazzarelli said.
“Congratulations to the many Cooper and Rowan team members who have worked tirelessly over the last decade to make Cooper Medical School of Rowan University one of the top-rated medical schools in the United States,” said Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper. “We are very proud of this national recognition.”
By collecting graduate school data annually, U.S. News is able to present the most current figures on enrollment, job placement, faculty, and other critical quality indicators that help prospective students make informed decisions.
“When prospective students are considering their options for graduate school, the Best Graduate Schools rankings are designed to help them identify schools that excel in the program they want to study,” said LaMont Jones, senior editor of Education at U.S. News. “With many options available, U.S. News provides a wealth of data in an easy format to help each student make the best decision.”
Prospective students can see how CMSRU compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on USNews.com.