Doximity’s latest residency rankings reveal a clear trend: the programs rising to the top aren’t just well‑known — they’re producing the strongest research output in their fields. Using two separate scoring systems, Doximity evaluates programs by reputation (based on three years of physician nominations) and research output (based on alumni publications, h‑index, grant funding, and clinical trial participation over the past decade). The result is a data‑driven snapshot of which institutions are shaping the future of medicine.
Mass General Brigham — including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School — dominated research rankings across 11 specialties, from anesthesiology and emergency medicine to neurology, psychiatry, radiology, and surgery. A select group of programs earned the No. 1 spot in both reputation and research: University of Pennsylvania’s dermatology and integrated interventional radiology programs, Johns Hopkins’ preventive medicine program, and Mass General Brigham’s psychiatry program.
Below is a streamlined look at the No. 1 residency programs across 26 specialties, highlighting leaders in both reputation and research output.
Top Residency Programs by Specialty (Reputation vs. Research Output)
| Specialty | Reputation Leader | Research Output Leader |
| Anesthesiology | Stanford Health Care–Stanford University | Mass General Brigham / Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Child Neurology | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Baylor College of Medicine |
| Dermatology | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
| Emergency Medicine | USC / Los Angeles General Medical Center | Mass General Brigham / MGH / BWH / Harvard |
| Family Medicine | University of Colorado | N/A |
| Internal Medicine | Mass General Brigham / MGH | Mass General Brigham / MGH |
| Interventional Radiology (Integrated) | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
| Medical Genetics | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard |
| Medicine/Pediatrics | University of Cincinnati | Mass General Brigham / BWH / Children’s Hospital / Harvard |
| Neurological Surgery | Barrow Neurological Institute | UCSF |
| Neurology | UCSF | Mass General Brigham / BWH / MGH / Harvard |
| Nuclear Medicine | Stanford University | University of Washington |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | Northwestern University | Mass General Brigham / BWH / MGH |
| Ophthalmology | Bascom Palmer Eye Institute | Mass General Brigham / Mass Eye and Ear / Harvard |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | Hospital for Special Surgery | Rush University Medical Center |
| Otolaryngology | Vanderbilt University | Mass General Brigham / Mass Eye and Ear / Harvard |
| Pathology | Johns Hopkins University | Stanford University |
| Pediatrics | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Boston Children’s Hospital |
| Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
| Plastic Surgery (Integrated) | NYU Grossman School of Medicine | Johns Hopkins / University of Maryland |
| Preventive Medicine | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health |
| Psychiatry | Mass General Brigham / MGH / McLean Hospital | Mass General Brigham / MGH / McLean Hospital |
| Radiation Oncology | MD Anderson Cancer Center | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
| Radiology (Diagnostic) | UCSF | Mass General Brigham / MGH / Harvard |
| Surgery | University of Michigan | Mass General Brigham / MGH |
| Urology | Vanderbilt University | Johns Hopkins University |
The programs leading U.S. medical training today share a common thread: deep research infrastructure, strong academic culture, and national trust among physicians. As specialties evolve — especially those driven by technology, imaging, and complex care — institutions with robust research ecosystems continue to rise to the top.