UAB Named Alabama's Top-Ranked Hospital by Newsweek

UAB Hospital secures top spot in Alabama on prestigious World's Best Hospitals 2026 list.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

UAB Hospital has been ranked as Alabama's top hospital and 59th best in the U.S. on Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 list. This marks the 12th consecutive year UAB Hospital has been named the No. 1 hospital in Alabama and the Birmingham metro area by U.S. News & World Report.

Why it matters

This recognition highlights UAB's status as a leading healthcare destination in Alabama and the Southeast, with its outstanding quality metrics, expert medical professionals, and strong patient satisfaction. As the largest health system in the state, UAB's continued national accolades reaffirm its position as a premier academic medical center.

The details

UAB Hospital was evaluated alongside nearly 400 other hospitals by Newsweek and Statista Inc. using key data sources including hospital quality metrics, recommendations from medical experts, patient survey results, and findings from the Statista PROMs Implementation Survey. UAB was also awarded as a leader in patient experience.

  • In 2025, UAB Hospital was named the No. 1 hospital in both Alabama and the Birmingham metro area in the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals ranking—for the 12th consecutive year.

The players

UAB Hospital

A leading academic medical center and the largest hospital in the UAB Health System, which serves almost 1.4 million unique patients each year across 113 locations in Alabama.

Dawn Bulgarella

CEO of the UAB Health System, which is a nearly $7.5 billion enterprise with more than 30,000 physicians, healthcare professionals and staff.

Newsweek

A prestigious global media outlet that publishes an annual ranking of the World's Best Hospitals.

Statista Inc.

A leading global data and business intelligence platform that partnered with Newsweek to determine the World's Best Hospitals 2026 rankings.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“UAB's continued recognition as one of the nation's top health care destinations reflects the outstanding work our faculty and staff deliver every day. This honor, grounded in rigorous hospital quality metrics, the expertise of medical professionals and the voices of our patients, underscores the strength of our care. Combined with our leading research and innovative therapies, these results reaffirm UAB as the destination of choice in Alabama, across the Southeast and beyond.”

— Dawn Bulgarella, CEO of UAB Health System (Press Release)

The takeaway

UAB's consistent ranking as Alabama's top hospital by prestigious national publications like Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report underscores its reputation as a premier academic medical center and healthcare destination, not just for the state but the entire Southeast region.