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A culture of collaboration and long-running facilities have helped the United States to secure 8 out of the 10 top spots in the latest Nature Index global healthcare institutions ranking, published last week.
The list ranks institutions based on their 2024 contributions to the selected high-quality journals tracked by the Nature Index database. Two institutions stand out as the only non-US entries in the top 10: the West China Medical Centre, which jumped from 6th place in 2023 to 4th, and Italy’s Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, which moved from 8th place to 7th.
Among top 11th to 20th places, there are again only two non-US institutions: France's Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, in 16th place, and China's Renji Hospital, in 20th.
Below is a closer look at the top 10 healthcare institutions in the Nature Index Research Leaders 2025.
Leading healthcare institutions in the Nature Index
Institutions are ranked by article Share in 2024. Each institution's article count (Count) is also listed.
| Rank | Institution | Count 2024 | Share 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts General Hospital, US | 1,080 | 170.60 |
| 2 | Brigham and Women's Hospital, US | 1,061 | 165.67 |
| 3 | The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, US | 473 | 155.15 |
| 4 | West China Medical Centre, China | 376 | 152.92 |
| 5 | Mayo Clinic, US | 557 | 146.23 |
| 6 | Mount Sinai Health System, US | 675 | 136.77 |
| 7 | Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Italy | 755 | 116.31 |
| 8 | Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, US | 556 | 112.35 |
| 9 | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, US | 475 | 108.43 |
| 10 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, US | 494 | 107.86 |
A time trend of these institutions' performance can be viewed here.
1. Massachusetts General Hospital, US
Share: 170.60
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in Boston, claimed the top spot among healthcare institutions in the Nature Index in 2024, based on Share, a metric that represents institutions' contributions to the high-quality journals tracked by the Nature Index.
As Harvard Medical School’s oldest and largest teaching hospital, its prominence is hardly surprising. But it recorded a considerable decrease in adjusted Share in the Nature Index in 2024, at -21.8%. The question now is whether the institution’s performance will be further affected by US government cuts to Harvard University’s funding.
2. Brigham and Women's Hospital, US
Share 165.67
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has charted a rapid rise into the Nature Index healthcare institutions top 10, first appearing on the leaderboard in 6th place in 2021, before rising to 2nd in 2022 and first in 2023. It is now placed second, with a -25% drop in adjusted Share for the year and is less than 5 Share points off the leader, MGH.
Another Boston-based institution, BWH is also a major teaching base for Harvard Medical School. MGH and BWH combined contributed more than 40% of Harvard’s health-sciences research Share for the period January to July 2023.
3. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, US
Share: 155.15
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre (UTSMC), in Dallas, Texas, which held pole position in this list in 2021 is now in 3rd place. In 2024, had a 11.3% decrease in adjusted Share from the previous year.
The centre remains in the top five thanks to the strength of its research collaborations — its strongest in the Nature Index is with Harvard University. It also has close ties to organizations such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Department of Veteran Affairs.
The centre’s performance is also aided by the output from its many internal institutions, which includes the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. In 2023, UTSMC was the top ranked healthcare organization for biological-science research output in the Index.
4. West China Medical Center, China
Share: 152.92
The West China Medical Centre, in Chengdu, first entered the Nature Index healthcare institutions top 10 in 2023, jumping from 11th place to 6th. It now holds 4th place.
As the medical school of China's Sichuan University, the 15th ranked institution overall in the Nature Index, it excels in areas such as oncology and medical biotechnology. It operates four affiliate hospitals, one of which, the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, considered among the leading hospitals in China.
The institution has been gaining ground for years. In 2023, it recorded a 26.3% increase in adjusted Share, and in 2024, recorded an increase of 10.7%. This was the greatest increase in adjusted Share in the top 20 that year.
5. Mayo Clinic, US
Share: 146.23
The Mayo Clinic had the smallest decline in adjusted Share among the the US healthcare institutions in the top 10, at -6.9%.
Health-sciences research makes up more than 70% of the Mayo Clinic’s output in the Nature Index, with clinical science, oncology and carcinogenesis, and cardiovascular medicine and haematology among its leading research topics. In 2022, the Mayo Clinic was the world’s top healthcare institution for health-sciences research output in the Index. It's now ranked 2nd, below BWH.
6. Mount Sinai Health System, US
Share: 136.77
The Mount Sinai Health System, another prominent New York institution, made its first appearance among the top 10 healthcare institutions in 2021, when it jumped from 11th place in 2020 to 3rd place. In 2023, it was in 9th place, and is now in 6th, having recorded a 4.1% increase in adjusted Share between 2023 and 2024.
Innovation is one of the institution’s strong suits: it ranked first among healthcare institutions for artificial intelligence (AI)-related Share between 2019 and 2023 in the Index. The Icahn School of Medicine, part of the Mount Sinai Health System, was among the first US institutions to combine AI, imaging methods and clinical data to analyse COVID-19 patients.
7. Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Italy
Share: 116.31
The Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), headquartered in Milan, Italy, is the only European institution to make the top 10 healthcare institutions in the Nature Index list for 2024.
The IRCSS benefits from strong domestic and international collaborations. Within Italy, the institute works closely with the University of Milan and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Harvard University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research form the IRCSS’s closest international collaborators.
The institute is strong in key healthcare areas, as the 8th ranked healthcare institution for cancer-research output for the period 2019–24*.
8. Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, US
Share: 112.35
From 2015 to 2020, the New York-based Columbia University Irving Medical Centre (CUIMC) switched between 1st and 2nd place in the healthcare institutions ranking, before falling to 7th place in 2021. In 2023, it had moved to 4th place, and now ranks 8th, with a -30.4% change in adjusted Share – the largest drop in the top 20.
Robotic surgery is one area of focus for this institution. In 2024, teams at the CUIMC completed their 100th robotic surgery, after launching the programme in 2023.
9. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, US
Share: 108.43
Domestic connections make up 70% of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, in Houston's, collaborations, including with the University of Texas Health Science Centre and Baylor College of Medicine, both also based in Houston.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre was the top healthcare institution in cancer-research output in the Index for the period 2019 to 2024 *
10. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, US
Share: 107.86
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC), in New York, which has moved between 3rd and 7th place in the healthcare institutions ranking over the past nine years, now sits in 10th place.
MSKCC is strong in biological-sciences research, having ranked 5th among healthcare institutions in this field in 2024.
The centre benefits from being based in New York – a strong place for research. In 2023, the New York Metropolitan Area ranked 2nd among the leading cities for health-sciences research, after the Boston Metropolitan Area. MSKCC’s top domestic collaborators, Cornell University and Rockefeller University, are also based in New York.
For more information on the Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders ranking of healthcare institutions, click here.
*Data for 2024 represent the period January–August 2024.
