U.S. News & World Report ranks many of our excellent clinical departments among the top programs in the country. These rankings are an important marker that communicates the high quality of our patient care and medical research to the public.

Each program’s reputation among physicians is a vital component of scoring. In previous years, U.S. News sent its survey to a small group of board-certified specialists across the country. This year, U.S. News has announced it will expand the survey to reach 50,000 board-certified physicians using an online voting process through Doximity, a new online physician network.

To vote online, physicians need to register for a free account or update their profile with Doximity. Physicians may already have a profile because Doximity pulls information from physician databases.

By visiting www.doximity.com, physicians can establish or activate their accounts quickly by entering their names and clicking on “Find My Profile.”

After registration, physicians may receive an invitation to participate in the U.S. News survey to rank programs. Please note that USC hospitals are currently listed as “USC Keck Hospital” and “USC Norris Cancer Hospital.” For ophthalmology, physicians may be asked to choose “USC Eye Institute” or to type in their vote.

Faculty member votes are important. “If you are invited, please vote,” said Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA, dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC. “I urge you to participate in the survey, which is so important to recognizing the top hospitals and clinical programs in the country.”

Time is of the essence. The U.S. News survey is underway and will continue through Feb. 10.