St George's University School of Medicine (SGUSOM), the only medical school in Grenada has received first place recognition as an outcome of a study by Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The medical school received the highest first time pass rate for steps one and two of the US Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) for all countries with medical schools in the Caribbean, according to the on-line publication, “Medical News Today”. The study ranked the medical school, “number one in the step one (testing basic science knowledge) category of USMLE with an 84.4 per cent pass rate for first time takers, well above the closest country with private medical schools. If Grenada is deducted from the study, the average pass rate for all other countries was 49.9 per cent. The study was conducted over a fifteen year period from 1993 to 2007.” The USMLE process is required for medical licensure in the United States. "This official study, the first of its kind in over 15 years, is an unbiased and accurate representation of the abilities of St George's University medical students", commented Chancellor Dr Charles R Modica. "Our students outperformed students from other countries in the region, exceeding the pass rate of some countries by more than 60 per cent.” "It is gratifying, too, in that we draw our students from over 100 countries worldwide", said Margaret Lambert, Dean of Enrolment Planning at St George's, "this impartial study is most welcome - and extremely necessary - for students trying to assess options as they choose a medical school. Finally, after many years, there is an objective, impartial study which will help prospective students and licensing agencies to recognise St George's continuous academic excellence". There are 56 medical schools currently recognised in 16 countries in the Caribbean. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com