Ranking

SHMU_University_Rankings_Report

Global, National, and Subject Rankings of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences (SHMU)

The standing of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences (SHMU) in national and international rankings is a direct indicator of our research productivity,
internationalization efforts, and the quality of our educational programs. The systematic tracking and reporting of these metrics are crucial components of our strategic planning, managed centrally by the Directorate. This comprehensive report details the current status and strategic focus areas related to institutional performance metrics.

I. Oversight and Coordination

The responsibility for monitoring, aggregating, and reporting all institutional performance data for national and global rankings falls under the purview of dedicated administrative units, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timely submission across all required platforms.

Responsible Directorate: * Directorate of International Relations, Accreditation and Ranking

Key Personnel: * Director: Dr. Majid Rahmati * Contact for Data Verification: intl@shmu.ac.ir

Coordination Mechanisms: The Directorate maintains cross-functional
collaboration with the following key departments to ensure data integrity: 1. Research and Technology Deputy: Provides finalized publication counts, citation metrics (derived from Scopus and Web of Science), and H-index statistics. 2. Education Deputy: Supplies student-to-faculty ratios, student satisfaction survey data, and graduate employment statistics required by specific ranking bodies. 3.

Finance and Administration: Offers data related to industry income generation and institutional endowment size (where applicable to specific global metrics).

II. Global Rankings

SHMU is dedicated to increasing its presence in influential global ranking systems to benchmark its performance against top medical universities worldwide. The following table summarizes our most recent performance snapshots based on publicly available data cycles.

Focus on Research Impact: Citation Analysis

Continuous efforts are made to increase the citation count per faculty member, recognized as a vital metric for global visibility. This initiative is coordinated closely with the Research Deputy.

Citation Analysis Methodology: The primary indicator tracked internally is the Citations Per Faculty Member (CPFM). If $C$ is the total citations received in the last five years (as per a specific database like Scopus) and $F$ is the total number of full-time academic staff, then:

C
CPFM = F

The Directorate benchmarks the current CPFM against the median CPFM of universities ranked within the top 500 globally to establish quantitative
improvement targets. A key performance indicator (KPI) for the next fiscal year is to increase the CPFM by $15\%$.

III. National Rankings

Performance within the national system, primarily classified by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), is essential for resource allocation, regulatory compliance, and reputation within Iran's academic ecosystem. These classifications are often based on a broader set of criteria than global indexes, including teaching quality, student-to-staff ratios, and infrastructure investment.

A. Ministry of Health Institutional Classification

• National Classification: SHMU is classified as a Category [Insert Category, e.g., 'A' or 'B'] University in the latest annual evaluation by the Ministry of Health, reflecting overall institutional performance across teaching, research, and service delivery criteria.

◦ Note on Category A: Category 'A' status signifies the highest tier of operational autonomy, governmental funding priority, and
accreditation status for specialized postgraduate programs
(Residency and Fellowship).

B. National Research Benchmarking (Medical Sciences Focus)

The national research assessment focuses specifically on specialized output within the biomedical field, often utilizing data from the Iranian Center for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) alongside international databases.

• National Research Benchmarking: In the latest assessment of pure
research universities focusing on Medical Sciences conducted by the MOHME’s Research Deputy, SHMU achieved a rank of [Insert National Rank- Example: 12th] nationally among public medical universities.

Breakdown of National Score Components (Illustrative Example):

IV. Subject-Specific Rankings

To reflect the specialized nature of our training and research, our performance in key subject areas is highlighted. These subject rankings often utilize the Global Research & Evaluation Framework (GRExF) methodology, which heavily weights subject-specific citation impact.

A. Clinical & Health Sciences

This area encompasses core medicine, nursing, and allied health professional training. Performance is monitored via specific subject indexing within major global databases.

• Subject Ranking Achievement: [Insert specific national or global subject ranking achieved in this field. Example: Ranked in the top 500 globally for Medicine by US News 2024.]
• Internal Metric Focus: Improvement in clinical trial registration volume and patient outcome studies reported in high-impact clinical journals.

B. Life Sciences

Covering disciplines such as Basic Medical Sciences, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology.

• Subject Ranking Achievement: [Insert specific national or global subject ranking achieved in this field. Example: Achieved a Q2 ranking nationally within the Biological Sciences cluster.]
• Internal Metric Focus: Increased international co-authorship ratios within the Life Sciences faculties.

C. Dental Sciences

Reflecting the specialized output of the Faculty of Dentistry.

• Subject Ranking Achievement: [Insert specific national or global subject ranking achieved in this field. Example: Positioned in the 401-500 band globally in the QS Subject Rankings for Dentistry.]
• Internal Metric Focus: Enhancement of citations for published research related to oral pathology and restorative dentistry innovations.

V. Data Integrity and Future Strategy

The Directorate ensures that all data provided to ranking agencies is
meticulously verified and aligns precisely with institutional records maintained by the respective Deputies. Discrepancies are investigated immediately upon notification from ranking bodies.

Data Verification Protocol

All submitted data elements (e.g., faculty count, international student numbers, specific publication lists) must pass a three-step verification process: 1. Source Documentation: Data pulled directly from HR records, finance reports, or verified publication databases (e.g., Scopus/WoS). 2. Deputy Review: Approval by the relevant functional deputy (e.g., Research Deputy confirms publication counts). 3. Directorate Final Sign-Off: Dr. Rahmati or designated Deputy Director signs the final submission package, certifying legal and factual accuracy.

Strategic Improvement Targets for Next Assessment Cycles

Future strategy aims to specifically target demonstrable improvements in metrics that historically lag behind peer institutions. This involves targeted investment and policy changes.

Key Target Areas:

1. International Faculty Ratio (IFR):

◦ Current Challenge: Low percentage of full-time academic staff          holding non-Iranian citizenship.

◦ Strategic Goal: Implement specialized recruitment packages to attract 5 new international faculty members within the next 18 months to positively impact IFR scores in THE and QS metrics.

2. Citations Per Paper (CPP):

◦ Current Challenge: While total output is strong, the average citation              velocity needs acceleration.