Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals Once Again Ranked Among Nation's Best in All 11 Pediatric Specialties by U.S. News & World Report
Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals have once again earned national rankings in all 11 pediatric specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026-27 list of Best Children's Hospitals rankings, released today.
For the third consecutive year, the three Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital campuses (Salt Lake City, Lehi, and Taylorsville), in partnership with University of Utah Health, ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals in every specialty the publication evaluated.
This year, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals increased the number of specialties ranked among the nation’s Top 25 programs from six to seven and two key programs, pediatric neonatology and cancer, joined the Top 25 for the first time.
The rankings reflect continued growth across nearly every specialty area and highlight Intermountain Health’s commitment to pediatric innovation, research, and clinical excellence, said Many Richards, DPN, RN, Intermountain Health chief nursing executive and president of Intermountain Children's Health.
"Being recognized in all 11 pediatric specialty categories reflects the extraordinary dedication of our caregivers, as well as the trust that children and families place in us every day," said Richards. "This honor represents the expertise, innovation, collaboration, and compassion across Intermountain Children's Health that make exceptional care possible. I am deeply grateful to our caregivers for their shared commitment to putting the child first and always, helping every child live the healthiest life possible and reach their full potential."
As one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals serving patients from a seven-state region, Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals three campuses in Utah continue to advance the future of children's health through groundbreaking research, advanced therapies, and multidisciplinary care.
Innovations in cancer treatment, congenital heart care, neonatal medicine, transplantation, cell and gene therapies, and pediatric surgery help set a national standard for pediatric healthcare while ensuring children and families have access to highly specialized care close to home.
"I'm proud of what our teams and our University of Utah Health physician partners have built together," said Dustin Lipson, president of Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake Campus. "That collaboration has fueled meaningful progress in research, advanced therapies, and in the breadth of services we can offer children.”
According to the 2026-27 U.S. News’ Best Children's Hospital rankings, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals earned Top 25 national rankings in seven pediatric specialties:
• Orthopedics: No. 11
• Cardiology & Heart Surgery: No. 11
• Neurology & Neurosurgery: No. 12
• Urology: No. 15
• Nephrology: No. 17
• Neonatology: No. 19
• Cancer: No. 20
In addition, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals also earned Top 50 national recognition in four additional specialties:
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery: No. 27
• Diabetes & Endocrinology: No. 30
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery: No. 40
• Behavioral Health: Top 50 designation (U.S. News currently designates Top 50 programs in Behavioral Health without assigning numerical rankings.)
The strong performance by the hospitals in every specialty category reflects a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration among caregivers, physicians, researchers, and community partners, according to Angelo P. Giardino, MD, chair of the University of Utah School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and chief medical officer of Intermountain Children's Health.
“Together, we’re advancing pediatric medicine through innovative treatments, improved outcomes, enhanced patient experiences, and expanded access to specialized care for children throughout the region,” said Dr. Giardino. "We recruit some of the nation's best physicians to our teams here at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals, and their commitment to putting the child first and always shows in these rankings."
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