(October 7, 2025) MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital earns national recognition for six specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals Survey

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 7, 2025) - The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital (SJCH) remains South Carolina's only children's hospital to make U.S. News & World Report's latest Best Children's Hospitals rankings, and six specialties ranked in the top 50 in the nation.

The MUSC Health Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center achieved second in the nation in outcomes, marking the fourth year that the center has taken the No. 1 or No. 2 spot.

This is the 18th consecutive year that the Cardiology & Heart Surgery program has made the U.S. News list of Best Children's Hospitals. Criteria included patient survival rate after complex heart surgeries; the number and expertise of specialized staff, such as board-certified specialists and certified nurses; the availability of specialized services and advanced technologies; and the hospital's ability to prevent infections.

In addition, the hospital ranked in six specialties on the national list and is tied for No. 11 in the Southeast's Best Children's Hospitals survey.

The highly recognized specialties for MUSC SJCH include the following national rankings:

• No. 4: Cardiology & Heart Surgery.
• No. 26: Nephrology.
• No. 29: Orthopedics.
• No. 33: Cancer.
• No. 42: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery.
• No. 49: Neonatology.

"Being ranked among the top children's hospitals nationally is a meaningful recognition of the incredible care our teams provide across all specialties," said Mark A. Scheurer, M.D., MUSC Health chief of Children's and Women's Services. "It not only reflects our deep commitment to improving the health and lives of children and families in South Carolina, but the Southeast as a whole."

The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital's Orthopedics program made a remarkable leap, from being unranked last year to No. 29. Neonatology also saw a significant improvement, jumping from unranked last year to No. 49 this year. Cancer also improved its ranking, moving from No. 38 last year to No. 33 this year.U.S. News & World Report issues the annual rankings "to help families with complex and rare conditions find the best medical care for their children," according to the publication's website. The rankings are designed to steer parents and caregivers to the hospitals that are best equipped to treat their children.

"Being recognized by U.S. News & World Report is a powerful affirmation of our care team members' unwavering dedication to building a healthier community at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital," said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and executive vice president for Health Affairs, University. "Their relentless commitment to innovation and compassionate care continues to exceed patient and family expectations, as we deliver exceptional outcomes for the children and families we serve across South Carolina."

A critical benchmark measured by U.S. News is patient outcomes. Six of 11 SJCH programs placed in the top 50 nationally for outcomes, including:

• No. 2: Cardiology & Heart Surgery.
• No. 24: Orthopedics.
• No. 29: Nephrology.
• No. 36: Cancer.
• No. 48: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery.
• No. 50: Neonatology.

For the fourth year, U.S. News featured regional rankings, and SJCH tied at No. 11 out of 63 facilities in the highly competitive Southeast region. All six of MUSC Health's nationally recognized pediatric specialties ranked in the top 10:

• No. 2: Cardiology & Heart Surgery.
• No. 5: Cancer.
• No. 6: Nephrology.
• No. 7: Orthopedics.
• No. 8: Neonatology.
• No. 10: Gastroenterology & GI surgery.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report slightly adjusts the methodology used to determine rankings. This year, it reduced the number of questions asked in the surveys, so questions could be answered more thoroughly and in a timely manner. Additionally, several changes were made to the Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health specialty, encouraging hospitals to treat and admit patients for inpatient care more quickly.

Contact:

Kristin Merkel

854-253-9926

[email protected]

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About the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women's Pavilion

The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital (SJCH) consists of 250 beds and opened in February 2020 as a replacement facility for the MUSC Children's Hospital built in the late 1980s and formerly located on Ashley Avenue. More than 200 care team members, MUSC leaders, administrators and family and patient representatives were instrumental in the concept, design and building of this facility. By providing the most advanced pediatric care possible in more than 26 specialty areas, in person or through a robust telehealth network, SJCH includes a Level 1 trauma center and Emergency Department, the state's only pediatric burn center and solid-organ and bone marrow transplant programs, the state's largest Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit, an advanced maternal fetal medicine center and a top-4 ranked U.S. News & World Report children's Cardiology & Heart Surgery program, which functions through a nationally unique statewide collaboration of pediatric heart surgeons and cardiologists.

Housed within the SJCH, the Pearl Tourville Women's Pavilion (PTWP) seamlessly integrates children's care and obstetrical services, thereby enhancing safety and improving outcomes in high-risk pregnancies. We understand that everyone plans for a healthy, normal birth, and for those who have that outcome, we want them to enjoy our top-notch labor and delivery care. Not all families have this opportunity, and they, too, deserve a place of compassion, expertise and excellent care. Working collaboratively with the advanced maternal fetal care center for families expecting babies with complex congenital birth defects and medical problems, PTWP care providers are one of only a handful of teams in the country able to offer couplet-care rooms, where newborns and mothers can recover together in an intensive-care setting.