NOVA Medical School stands out as the medical school with the greatest scientific impact in Portugal, surpassing similar institutions in terms of the overall average number of citations of its publications. The analysis, based on Scopus data between 2020 and 2024, reveals that NOVA Medical School ranks 4th nationally in terms of scientific publications but ranks 1st in terms of impact (FWCI – Field-Weighted Citation Impact corresponding to 2.79), far ahead of reference schools such as the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL).
In addition to NOVA Medical School, FMUP, and FMUL, the comparative study included the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC), the School of Medicine of the University of Minho (EMUM), and the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Beira Interior (FCSUBI). The Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve and ICBAS (University of Porto) were excluded due to limitations in the affiliation of data indexed by Scopus.
According to the analysis, NOVA Medical School's scientific output stands out for its quality and international relevance, reflected in the high impact of citations in areas such as Medicine, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Immunology and Microbiology, and Neurosciences.
“These results are a source of great pride and reflect not only the commitment of the academic and scientific community at NOVA Medical School, but also the relevance of the knowledge we produce for the advancement of medicine and health globally,” emphasizes Teresa Costa, Directorof the NOVA Medical School Library and coordinator of this study.
An internal study by NOVA University Lisbon, which compares the scientific output of its Organic Units, confirms this trend: NOVA Medical School ranks second in terms of scientific publications (2,414 peer-reviewed publications for the period 2021-2024), but takes the lead when considering the impact of these publications (FWCI corresponding to 1.82 based on Scopus data for the period 2021-2023).
“With these results, we reinforce our commitment to transforming science into solutions that improve people's lives and prepare the next generations of biomedical and clinical doctors and researchers for the challenges of the future,” says João Conde, Vice Dean for Research at NOVA Medical School, adding: “Only by combining fundamental research and clinical research can we generate transformative knowledge capable of accelerating discoveries and converting them into concrete benefits for the health of populations.”