Asan Medical Center ranked first in South Korea and 64th globally in the Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders: Leading Healthcare Institutions. The hospital's share score — a measure of research contribution — rose about 29 percent year on year, from 25.9 to 33.4, the highest among domestic medical institutions.
The Nature Index tracks institutional research output based on papers published in high-quality journals. It aggregates results from 178 of the world's most prestigious publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association and Nature, and ranks institutions by share score rather than raw paper count.
The share score reflects each institution's actual contribution by accounting for the number of authors on a paper and their affiliations. It captures each institution's proportional involvement in research published in authoritative journals rather than simply tallying publications.
Based on research published between January and December 2025, Asan Medical Center recorded a share score of 33.4 and 119 papers in the Nature Index 2026 rankings, climbing 13 places from 77th globally last year to 64th this year.
The Nature Index selects its evaluated journals based on researchers' reputations. Active researchers worldwide identify the journals where they most want to publish their most important findings, and those responses are verified through a global researcher survey to finalize the list of high-quality journals included in the index.
The evaluation framework was also significantly upgraded this year. The index overhauled its methodology to classify research fields at the level of individual papers rather than by journal, allowing for a more accurate reflection of each paper's actual research characteristics. The scope was also expanded beyond the natural and health sciences to include applied sciences and social sciences, laying the groundwork for more precise measurement of convergence research in areas such as medical AI and digital healthcare.
Asan Medical Center claimed the top domestic ranking by share score in the first edition of the index to apply the expanded scope and refined methodology. The roughly 29 percent year-on-year increase in its share score is a meaningful indicator that the hospital's substantive research influence in the world's leading journals continues to grow, beyond a simple rise in publication volume.
"This result demonstrates that Asan Medical Center's research capabilities are gaining international recognition," said Kim Tae-won, director of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences. "We will continue to strengthen our support systems for improving research competitiveness so that our researchers can produce world-class results in the best possible environment."
Meanwhile, Asan Medical Center has published a total of 10 papers in the New England Journal of Medicine, widely regarded as the standard reference for clinicians worldwide — an unrivaled record among domestic medical institutions and a strong showing even by global standards. The NEJM carries an impact factor of 84.5, higher than both Nature (56.1) and Science (47.3).
kty@heraldcorp.com
