Hopkins falls to No. 3 on medical school list

After ranking second for 13 years, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has slipped to No. 3 in U.S. News & World Report's annual ratings of the nation's best medical schools.

"Although it's always a bit disappointing to slip in such lists, we are honored to be among the best of the best," Dr. Edward D. Miller, the medical school dean, said last week in a letter to employees in which he also congratulated them for excellent work. The rankings appear in this week's edition of the magazine.

Harvard Medical School leads all medical schools, followed by Washington University in St. Louis, which nudged one point ahead of Hopkins in a complex rating system. The scores take into account two reputational surveys and objective data such as research grants awarded to the school and its hospitals.