- UF Health Shands Children's Hospital ranked No. 3 in Florida and recognized in seven pediatric specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 rankings.
- Only eight Florida children's hospitals made the top 50 nationally in at least one pediatric specialty, highlighting UF Health's leading care quality.
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital was rated among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals and has jumped to No. 3 in Florida, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings released on Tuesday.
Seven UF Health pediatric specialties were recognized among the top 50 nationally. According to a UF Health press release, they are cardiology and heart surgery (No. 17), diabetes and endocrinology (No. 32), neurology and neurosurgery (No. 33), pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 34), cancer (No. 35), neonatology (No. 49) and behavioral health (ranked in the top 50).
“This year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings show what we know to be true: UF Health delivers some of the highest-quality pediatric care in the nation and is a leading destination for children’s health care in Florida,” said Michael Holmes, UF Health senior vice president and Gainesville regional president, in the release. “Our experts’ dedication to our patients is unparalleled, and these rankings reflect how hard they work every day to prove top-tier treatment.”
The U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are based on a mix of hard data and expert opinion.
“U.S. News gathers health care data from more than 115 pediatric medical centers through a detailed survey that evaluates factors such as patient safety, infection prevention and nurse staffing,” the release said.
This year, only eight children’s hospitals in Florida were ranked among the U.S.’s top 50 in at least one of the 11 pediatric specialties evaluated, according to the release.
“Our commitment has always been to our patients and their families, and that is reflected not only in these rankings but also in our patient outcomes, our patients’ experiences and in the support we provide their caregivers and loved ones,” said Rashmin Savani, chair of the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, in the release. “We are immensely proud of our team members, and they should be proud of this accomplishment.”
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital was recognized for six medical specialties among the nation’s top 50 in the 2025-26 report.