'U.S. News' Seeks Medical Deans' Input on Rankings, and Gets an Earful

By Collin Eaton

New York

Medical school deans swung hard at U.S. News & World Report's annual medical school rankings in a panel discussion here on Thursday, painting the magazine's methodology as a one-size-fits-all measure that is flawed by its use of inadequate metrics, low response rates, conflict-of-interest issues, and a "reputational" survey that may be based on decades-old perceptions.

Yet prospective students and parents have relied more and more on the rankings in recent years, and if a