Wroclaw Medical University has been ranked 13th globally in the field of cardiovascular and heart disease research in the prestigious U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025–2026 ranking. Researchers from Lower Silesia outperformed those from the UK’s Oxford University and the US’s Yale University.
The U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking evaluates the research performance and academic reputation of institutions worldwide. It includes universities from the United States and over 100 other countries, based on 13 indicators. The 2025–2026 edition highlights the top 2,250 universities globally.
In the field of cardiovascular research, Wroclaw Medical University was ranked 13th, sharing the position with Stanford University. This exceptional result is attributed to the establishment of the Institute of Heart Diseases, operating within the University Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw.
“Polish cardiology should not feel inferior – quite the opposite. It is a source of national pride, and we are proving that at Wroclaw Medical University – the top Polish medical school in global rankings,” says Professor Piotr Ponikowski, Rector of Wroclaw Medical University and Director of the Institute of Heart Diseases.
Despite having a smaller budget and team than most institutions featured in the ranking, the university continues to achieve global recognition through the high quality of its scientific research.
Established six years ago, the Institute of Heart Diseases is the youngest transplant center in Poland. In just four years, its experts have performed over 200 heart transplants and 80 implantations of long-term left ventricular assist devices (LVADs).
Most recently, the Wroclaw team became the first in Poland to perform a Tendyne transcatheter mitral valve implantation (TMVI) on a beating heart, without opening the chest.
The Institute is also preparing to open a comprehensive Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Center, aimed at treating children with congenital heart defects.
Source:
