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Neonatology
UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital ranked No. 1 in Iowa in 2026-27 ‘US News & World Report’ rankings
7 pediatric specialties honored in latest rankings
University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital is once again ranked the state’s No. 1 children’s hospital with seven specialties ranked in the country’s top 50 in the 2026-27 “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.
Stead Family Children’s Hospital — Iowa’s only nationally ranked children’s hospital — was honored in the following categories:
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pediatric nephrology
33
pediatric diabetes and endocrinology
39
pediatric neurology & neurosurgery
45
pediatric cardiology and heart & vascular surgery
45
pediatric urology
Top 50
pediatric & adolescent behavioral health
The “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings also include state and multistate regional rankings. Stead Family Children’s Hospital ranks as the No. 1 children’s hospital in Iowa and No. 11 in the Midwest region, defined by U.S. News as Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
“Being ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals each year is an extraordinary honor and really speaks directly to the dedication of our entire team,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “This feedback is also a testament to our patients and families and the trust they have in allowing us to care for their children. Their courage is inspiring and their stories continue to remind us why the work we do is so important.”
Stead Family Children’s Hospital has been ranked every year since U.S. News launched the children’s hospital rankings in 2007.
“Being continually recognized as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals reinforces that the care we provide is exceptional not only by our own standards but by those of others across the country,” says Jim Leste, MS, FACHE, chief administrative officer of Stead Family Children’s Hospital. “This recognition reflects the expertise, compassion, and relentless commitment our physicians, nurses, therapists, and staff bring to every patient and family every day. We can all take pride in the way we invest in the future of Iowa and beyond by caring for the next generation.”
The “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings, now in their 20th year, are designed to assist families and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive specialized pediatric care.
“This honor highlights the importance and strength of our academic mission; as part of a leading academic medical center, we are constantly working to advance pediatric medicine through research, innovation, and education,” says Alexander Bassuk, MD, PhD, physician-in-chief of Stead Family Children’s Hospital and chair and departmental executive officer of the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics in the UI Carver College of Medicine. “These rankings continue to affirm that clinical expertise and academic excellence go hand in hand in providing the best care to our patients and families.”
The methodology for compiling these rankings includes clinical outcomes, such as patient survival, infection rates, and complications; the level and quality of hospital resources related to patient care, such as staffing, technology, and special services; delivery of health care, such as programs that prevent infections and adherence to best practices; and expert opinion among pediatric specialists.
For more information, visit Best Children’s Hospitals for the full rankings and use #BestHospitals on Facebook and Twitter.
