2021 Research Leaders: Leading healthcare institutions

The 2021 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Table criteria

Position Institution Share 2019 Share 2020 Count 2020 Change in Adjusted Share* 2019–2020
1 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern Medical Center), United States of America (USA) 139.78 149.89 312 3.4% Increase
2 Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), CU, United States of America (USA) 115.14 124.58 411 4.3% Increase
3 Michigan Medicine, U-M, United States of America (USA) 93.44 113.24 321 16.8% Increase
4 UC San Diego Health Sciences, United States of America (USA) 114.56 104.27 405 -12.2% Decrease
5 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), United States of America (USA) 105.34 96.87 349 -11.3% Decrease
6 Duke University Health System, United States of America (USA) 106.02 94.99 294 -13.6% Decrease
7 Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), United States of America (USA) 103.23 91.16 644 -14.9% Decrease
8 NYU Langone Health, United States of America (USA) 78.46 85.80 266 5.4% Increase
9 UW Medicine, United States of America (USA) 101.96 83.91 343 -20.7% Decrease
10 Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), United States of America (USA) 71.66 83.88 258 12.9% Increase
11 Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS), United States of America (USA) 62.43 82.49 378 27.4% Increase
12 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States of America (USA) 74.20 76.16 329 -1.0% Decrease
13 Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), United States of America (USA) 66.47 70.17 526 1.8% Increase
14 UCLA Health, United States of America (USA) 94.61 70.05 310 -28.6% Decrease
15 Mayo Clinic, United States of America (USA) 40.89 60.03 194 41.6% Increase
16 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), United States of America (USA) 46.64 59.29 507 22.6% Increase
17 Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), United States of America (USA) 51.20 55.21 418 4.0% Increase
18 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude), United States of America (USA) 40.97 46.01 109 8.3% Increase
19 UCSF Health, United States of America (USA) 44.63 45.70 229 -1.3% Decrease
20 Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Italy 46.21 44.61 245 -6.9% Decrease
21 Health Sciences Center (HSC), Utah, United States of America (USA) 43.84 38.07 121 -16.3% Decrease
22 Renji Hospital, SJTU, China 23.70 37.06 139 50.8% Increase
23 The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), U of T, Canada 25.80 34.30 157 28.2% Increase
24 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), United States of America (USA) 35.10 34.16 97 -6.2% Decrease
25 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), United States of America (USA) 29.22 32.80 175 8.3% Increase
26 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), United States of America (USA) 27.58 32.74 306 14.4% Increase
27 Cleveland Clinic, United States of America (USA) 22.83 30.09 109 27.1% Increase
28 Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Netherlands 22.13 27.54 153 20.0% Increase
29 UC Davis Health, United States of America (USA) 17.96 27.52 97 47.7% Increase
30 West China School of Medicine/West China Hospital of Sichuan University (WCSM/WCH), SCU, China 28.28 26.11 82 -11.0% Decrease
31 University Health Network (UHN), U of T, Canada 28.64 24.85 119 -16.3% Decrease
32 Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), Netherlands 21.26 24.06 156 9.1% Increase
33 University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), UR, United States of America (USA) 19.41 23.92 82 18.8% Increase
34 Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), United States of America (USA) 23.91 23.74 159 -4.3% Decrease
35 City of Hope, United States of America (USA) 19.23 22.49 120 12.8% Increase
36 University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), UHH, Germany 28.96 22.45 143 -25.3% Decrease
37 Radboud University Medical Centre (Radboudumc), RU, Netherlands 21.42 22.44 175 1.0% Increase
38 Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), France 17.61 21.90 239 19.9% Increase
39 Heidelberg University Hospital at Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Uni Heidelberg, Germany 12.50 21.20 170 63.6% Increase
40 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), United States of America (USA) 16.66 21.13 69 22.3% Increase
41 University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), RUG, Netherlands 20.22 21.11 113 0.7% Increase
42 University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), Netherlands 22.78 19.84 146 -16.0% Decrease
43 University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), United States of America (USA) 10.81 19.04 44 69.9% Increase
44 VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Netherlands 14.51 18.22 164 21.0% Increase
45 Academic Medical Center (AMC), UvA, Netherlands 23.38 17.48 196 -27.9% Decrease
46 University Hospital Tübingen (UKT), Uni Tübingen, Germany 14.60 17.21 109 13.6% Increase
47 Hannover Medical School (MHH), Germany 14.76 16.99 107 11.0% Increase
48 McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Canada 16.19 16.78 87 -0.1% Decrease
49 UTMB Health, United States of America (USA) 13.23 16.71 58 21.8% Increase
50 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Cedars-Sinai), United States of America (USA) 14.15 16.62 76 13.3% Increase
51 University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany 17.74 16.50 97 -10.3% Decrease
52 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, United States of America (USA) 14.79 16.31 50 6.4% Increase
53 UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, United States of America (USA) 13.64 15.82 97 11.9% Increase
54 Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), Netherlands 20.90 15.65 101 -27.8% Decrease
55 University Hospital of Erlangen, FAU, Germany 11.53 14.76 52 23.5% Increase
56 University Hospital Zurich (UHZ), Switzerland 10.54 14.75 72 34.8% Increase
57 Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC), United States of America (USA) 11.45 14.10 75 18.8% Increase
58 Yonsei University Health System (YUHS), South Korea 11.23 14.00 54 20.2% Increase
59 Ruijin Hospital, SJTU, China 5.57 13.25 58 129.6% Increase
60 The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (SAHZU), ZJU, China 8.45 13.23 54 51.0% Increase
61 University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Uni Bonn, Germany 15.12 13.17 89 -16.0% Decrease
62 UConn Health, United States of America (USA) 15.36 13.16 57 -17.4% Decrease
63 University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), United States of America (USA) 7.25 12.21 55 62.4% Increase
64 University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), United States of America (USA) 12.72 12.14 75 -8.0% Decrease
65 Houston Methodist, United States of America (USA) 8.89 11.98 47 30.0% Increase
66 Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC), SYSU, China 12.93 11.91 40 -11.2% Decrease
67 Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, SYSU, China 7.26 11.55 49 53.4% Increase
68 University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany 11.72 10.53 72 -13.3% Decrease
69 University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), United States of America (USA) 15.77 10.51 90 -35.7% Decrease
70 Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Spain 10.01 10.46 51 0.7% Increase
71 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH), United Kingdom (UK) 8.17 10.45 136 23.2% Increase
72 Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Austria 6.19 10.31 39 60.5% Increase
73 University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), UNIL, Switzerland 9.28 10.04 69 4.3% Increase
74 Sinai Health System, U of T, Canada 8.38 9.86 80 13.5% Increase
75 Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation (JHHS), United States of America (USA) 12.88 9.82 119 -26.5% Decrease
76 University Hospital of Münster (UKM), WWU, Germany 6.78 9.69 47 37.6% Increase
77 University of Florida Health (UF Health), United States of America (USA) 8.67 9.59 47 6.7% Increase
78 The People's Liberation Army General Hospital (PLAGH), China 6.23 9.31 44 44.1% Increase
79 Texas Children's Hospital, BCM, United States of America (USA) 7.68 9.30 118 16.8% Increase
80 Stanford Health Care, United States of America (USA) 11.42 9.16 208 -22.7% Decrease
81 First Affiliated Hospital, ZJU, China 6.00 8.94 50 43.6% Increase
82 Stanford Children's Health, United States of America (USA) 11.07 8.87 205 -22.7% Decrease
83 University Medical Center Mainz, JGU, Germany 8.69 8.85 59 -1.8% Decrease
84 Oslo University Hospital (OUS), Norway 10.23 8.79 68 -17.2% Decrease
85 University Hospital Basel (USB), UB, Switzerland 8.81 8.73 69 -4.4% Decrease
86 Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, SJTU, China 4.84 8.57 35 70.6% Increase
87 National Cancer Center (NCC), Japan 7.60 8.55 44 8.5% Increase
88 TUM University Hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar (MRI), Germany 5.18 8.50 100 58.2% Increase
89 University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), United States of America (USA) 9.56 8.41 35 -15.2% Decrease
90 Xiangya Hospital, CSU, China 9.80 8.31 45 -18.2% Decrease
91 Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), Canada 9.88 8.29 63 -19.1% Decrease
92 Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, United States of America (USA) 7.43 8.22 85 6.7% Increase
93 University Hospital of Munich (KUM), LMU, Germany 11.31 8.18 103 -30.3% Decrease
94 Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, SJTU, China 7.87 8.05 34 -1.3% Decrease
95 Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden 8.45 7.99 84 -8.8% Decrease
96 Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), United States of America (USA) 5.33 7.88 37 42.6% Increase
97 Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, China 9.42 7.36 48 -24.7% Decrease
98 Seattle Children's Hospital, United States of America (USA) 10.42 7.35 62 -31.9% Decrease
99 Tongji Hospital (TJH), HUST, China 5.40 7.33 39 31.0% Increase
100 Catalan Health Institute (ICS), Spain 10.09 7.24 94 -30.9% Decrease

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

  1. The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences and health sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
  2. The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 145 natural-science and health-science journals. The journals were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields. The list is reviewed periodically and journals may be removed or added. Articles from eLife were no longer included in the Nature Index from 2023 after the journal changed its publishing model.
  3. Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
  5. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen research leaders.