DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Children’s Hospital keeps its ranking as one of the top 50 children’s medical centers in the country.

According to this year’s annual list from U.S. News & World Report, Duke ranks No. 1 in North Carolina and is now tied for No. 1 in the Southeast.

“It is an honor to care for the children and families in North Carolina providing world class care and innovative care,” said Ann Reed, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.

All specialties were in the top 50 and saw an improvement in ranking this year, with Cardiology & Heart Surgery coming in second in its category. Other specialties in the top 25 include Neonatal Care (14), Urology (19), Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (20), Orthopedics (23), and Pulmonology (23).

“I am so proud of our team in achieving this No. 2 ranking,” said Joseph Turek, M.D., Ph.D., chief of pediatric heart surgery. “These rankings reflect our nation-leading outcomes and innovation over the past four years in pediatric heart care. We are pleased to bring this level of world class care to the state of North Carolina.”

U.S. News evaluates nearly 200 hospitals on a range of pediatric services, including clinical outcomes, infection prevention, and adequacy of nurse staffing. The score is also determined from surveys of thousands of pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty.

Comparisons of hospital scores are available at https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.