The University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital was rated among the top 50 in six medical specialties nationwide, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the nation’s pediatric hospitals.
Three medical specialties were ranked No. 1 in Florida and in the top 50 nationally. They are cardiology and heart surgery (ranked No. 15 nationally), pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 22) and cancer (No. 36).
The other three specialties that placed among the top 50 nationally are neonatology (No. 38), diabetes and endocrinology (No. 42) and pediatric behavioral health. According to the release, U.S. News does not numerically rank behavioral health, except to note that a program is in the top 50 nationally.
“UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is more than a hospital,” said Michael Holmes, UF Health’s senior vice president and Greater Gainesville regional president, in the release. “It’s a place where our medical professionals and staff care for a family’s child as if they were their own. It’s a spirit of excellent care delivered with compassion by talented caregivers giving their best.”
Rashmin Savani, chair of the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, said the hospital’s doctors and nurses treat the most complex cases across a sweeping range of specialties.
A deep well of multidisciplinary care, he said, can be tapped for any patient, ensuring seamless treatment in a family’s most trying hour.
“Our caregivers and staff should be proud of this achievement,” Savani said. “Our team works every day to offer compassionate and skilled care in the many communities we serve. It’s about a deep commitment, renewed daily, to bring expertise and the latest medical technologies and treatments to any child for any disease or condition, however rare or common. We want the families who come to UF Health to have peace of mind that their children are in the most capable hands.”
The U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are based on a mix of hard data and expert opinion.
On the U.S. News & World Report website, the survey “gathers key clinical data from over 100 medical centers through a detailed survey that looks at measures such as patient safety, infection prevention and adequacy of nurse staffing.”
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital was recognized for five medical specialties among the nation’s top 50 in the 2024-25 report.