A survey published by OncoDaily, an international platform dedicated to oncology news and science communication, highlights the importance of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in Latin American medical research.
The study, conducted by the Boston Institute for Global Rankings (BIGR), analyzed the scientific output of 185 medical schools across Latin America and the Caribbean with at least 500 publications indexed in PubMed between 2000 and 2024. In addition to publication volume, the analysis evaluated each institution’s research growth rate using an index that gives greater weight to more recent publications in order to identify universities with expanding scientific output.
In the ranking of institutions with the highest number of scientific publications, USP’s two medical schools were among the top ten: the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) ranked first, while the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP-USP) placed seventh.
In the historical publication ranking, FMUSP leads with 60,876 PubMed-indexed articles published during the study period, while FMRP-USP ranks seventh with 12,707 publications. According to OncoDaily, FMUSP has established itself as one of Brazil’s leading medical research centers. The publication also notes that the School significantly accelerated its scientific output between 2018 and 2024, driven by the expansion of graduate programs and the strengthening of major national research centers.
Beyond USP’s performance, the survey highlights the strength of Brazil’s public higher education system. The study points out that more than 40 Brazilian federal and state universities rank among the top 100 fastest-growing institutions in Latin America. According to the report, this performance reflects decades of investment in research, infrastructure, and researcher training, making Brazil the country that has invested most consistently and comprehensively in academic medical science across Latin America. The Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG) was also recognized among the institutions with the strongest recent growth in scientific output.
Read the full study on OncoDaily.
