Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Domain

Health Sciences research

Health Sciences is one of the four domains of science in the OpenAlex classification. Science Explorer counts 25.8M research works in it since 1950. 16.4% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of science focused on human health and disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

Research works
25.8M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4.2M
per year above
Top-10% rate
16.4%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
844
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+30%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Health Sciences research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Epidemiology, Inflammation, Treatment, Quality of Life, Cardiovascular Disease, Public Health. Gaining share since 2009–13: SARS-CoV-2, Pandemic, COVID-19, Pathophysiology, Vaccine.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology833k◆ 1.01×104 topics
  2. Inflammation398k◆ 0.91×54 topics
  3. Treatment274k◆ 0.94×44 topics
  4. Quality of Life271k◆ 1.05×44 topics
  5. Cardiovascular Disease247k◆ 0.91×34 topics
  6. Public Health232k◆ 1.07×39 topics
  7. Oxidative Stress231k◆ 0.94×30 topics
  8. Diagnosis228k◆ 0.96×36 topics
  9. Risk Factors226k◆ 1.05×26 topics
  10. Metabolic Syndrome183k◆ 0.93×20 topics
  11. Chemotherapy174k◆ 1.00×24 topics
  12. Management173k◆ 0.99×29 topics
  13. Obesity161k◆ 0.96×23 topics
  14. Clinical Trials151k◆ 1.14×15 topics
  15. COVID-19139k▲ 4.0×16 topics
  16. Cancer136k◆ 1.15×21 topics
  17. Immunotherapy135k▲ 1.17×15 topics
  18. Clinical Practice Guidelines132k◆ 0.97×13 topics
  19. Complications131k◆ 1.00×17 topics
  20. Global Burden127k◆ 0.94×11 topics
  21. Pandemic123k▲ 5.7×6 topics
  22. Guidelines118k◆ 1.01×12 topics
  23. Mortality117k▲ 1.28×11 topics
  24. Prognostic Factors114k◆ 0.96×14 topics
  25. Immune Response112k▲ 1.22×12 topics
  26. Insulin Resistance111k◆ 0.96×9 topics
  27. Surgical Management110k◆ 0.94×20 topics
  28. SARS-CoV-2109k▲ 12×6 topics
  29. Prevention106k◆ 1.12×15 topics
  30. Diabetes102k◆ 0.99×15 topics
  31. Mental Health102k▲ 1.31×13 topics
  32. Healthcare94k▲ 1.28×14 topics
  33. Vaccine93k▲ 1.48×8 topics
  34. Biomarkers92k◆ 1.05×10 topics
  35. Aging91k▲ 1.22×10 topics
  36. Pathogenesis91k◆ 0.90×15 topics
  37. Rehabilitation90k◆ 1.09×10 topics
  38. Pathophysiology89k▲ 1.78×10 topics
  39. Primary Care88k◆ 0.95×13 topics
  40. Heart Failure88k◆ 0.95×11 topics

Which countries lead Health Sciences research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, the United States, China and the United Kingdom rank highest in Health Sciences. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (1M and 626k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States · #1 all time 15.4% top 10% · 1M works
  2. 2 China · #3 all time 22.5% top 10% · 626k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #2 all time 18.1% top 10% · 211k works
  4. 4 Italy · #8 all time 21.9% top 10% · 143k works
  5. 5 Australia · #6 all time 22.0% top 10% · 101k works
  6. 6 Germany · #5 all time 16.3% top 10% · 160k works
  7. 7 India · #13 all time 8.4% top 10% · 308k works
  8. 8 Canada · #4 all time 19.2% top 10% · 112k works
  9. 9 France · #7 all time 13.7% top 10% · 118k works
  10. 10 Spain · #11 all time 15.0% top 10% · 115k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 161 countries ranked in Health Sciences. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Health Sciences

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 1M works
  2. 2 China 626k works
  3. 3 India 308k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom 211k works
  5. 5 Japan 182k works
  6. 6 Indonesia 172k works
  7. 7 Brazil 165k works
  8. 8 Germany 160k works
  9. 9 Italy 143k works
  10. 10 Türkiye 120k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 32.8%China: 20.1%India: 9.9%United Kingdom: 6.8%6 others listed: 30.4%33%largest
United States1.0M · 32.8%China626k · 20.1%India308k · 9.9%United Kingdom211k · 6.8%6 others listed943k · 30.4%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Health Sciences research?

Harvard University (United States) ranks first in Health Sciences on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #1 all time 25.9% top 10% · 12k works
  2. 2 University of Pennsylvania United States · Philadelphia · #5 all time 20.3% top 10% · 8.5k works
  3. 3 Johns Hopkins University United States · Baltimore · #2 all time 21.4% top 10% · 10k works
  4. 4 Stanford University United States · Stanford · #7 all time 21.0% top 10% · 8.2k works
  5. 5 Sichuan University China · Chengdu 25.2% top 10% · 9.6k works
  6. 6 Brigham and Women's Hospital United States · Boston · #3 all time 22.4% top 10% · 6.2k works
  7. 7 University of California, San Francisco United States · San Francisco · #4 all time 20.8% top 10% · 8.2k works
  8. 8 Massachusetts General Hospital United States · Boston · #9 all time 19.5% top 10% · 7.9k works
  9. 9 University of Michigan United States · Ann Arbor · #6 all time 19.3% top 10% · 9k works
  10. 10 University College London United Kingdom · London · #10 all time 23.1% top 10% · 8.3k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 11,982 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Health Sciences.

Top 100 Health Sciences institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States 14k works
  2. 2 Harvard University United States 12k works
  3. 3 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 12k works
  4. 4 Johns Hopkins University United States 10k works
  5. 5 Sichuan University China 9.6k works
  6. 6 All India Institute of Medical Sciences India 9.3k works
  7. 7 University of Michigan United States 9k works
  8. 8 Universidade de São Paulo Brazil 8.7k works
  9. 9 University of Toronto Canada 8.7k works
  10. 10 University of Pennsylvania United States 8.5k works

Who are the leading researchers in Health Sciences?

Among the most productive authors in Health Sciences, David Moher, Roger Chou and Gordon Guyatt rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 David Moher Canada · #1 worldwide 38k citations · 235 works
  2. 2 Roger Chou United States · #6 worldwide 14k citations · 187 works
  3. 3 Gordon Guyatt Canada · #11 worldwide 6.8k citations · 254 works
  4. 4 Jost B. Jonas Germany · #12 worldwide 7.7k citations · 243 works
  5. 5 Graeme J. Hankey Australia · #15 worldwide 7.2k citations · 205 works
  6. 6 Aziz Sheikh United Kingdom · #17 worldwide 5.8k citations · 274 works
  7. 7 Vivekanand Jha India · #18 worldwide 5.8k citations · 232 works
  8. 8 Reza Malekzadeh Iran · #24 worldwide 6.7k citations · 167 works
  9. 9 Zulfiqar A Bhutta Pakistan · #29 worldwide 7k citations · 258 works
  10. 10 Ali Bijani Iran · #32 worldwide 5.6k citations · 168 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,830 highest-output authors in Health Sciences. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Health Sciences researchers

Where is Health Sciences research done?

The largest centres of Health Sciences research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom), Shanghai (China) and New York (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Orange and Onomichi.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 92k works
  2. 2 London United Kingdom 64k works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 51k works
  4. 4 New York United States 51k works
  5. 5 Seoul South Korea 48k works
  6. 6 Tokyo Japan 46k works
  7. 7 Guangzhou China 41k works
  8. 8 Paris France 41k works
  9. 9 Boston United States 37k works
  10. 10 Moscow Russia 37k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. OrangeUS · 63.1 works4.1×
  2. OnomichiJP · 65.5 works4.1×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Health Sciences than the world average.

See Health Sciences on the map

Health Sciences research by country

The best places for Health Sciences research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Health Sciences?

Among universities, judged by research, Harvard University, Karolinska Institutet and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 19.55%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Harvard University: 12k, 25.9%Karolinska Institutet: 5,305, 26.0%Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: 12k, 20.6%University of California, San Francisco: 8,246, 20.8%Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi: 8,029, 5.5%Capital Medical University: 7,915, 19.1%Johns Hopkins University: 10k, 21.4%Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy: 2,443, 20.1%Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: 6,416, 17.2%Medical University of Vienna: 4,210, 18.9%Karolinska InstitutetHarvard UniversityUniversity of Califo…Chinese Academy of M…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Harvard University United States 65.425.9%2.1×12,491 +20.0%
2Karolinska Institutet Sweden 62.926.0%2.6×5,305 +14.1%
3Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 62.120.6%2.7×12,141 +33.1%
4University of California, San Francisco United States 59.120.8%2.8×8,246 +10.9%
5Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Türkiye 58.05.5%3.0×8,029 +2700.9%
6Capital Medical University China 57.519.1%3.0×7,915 +20.4%
7Johns Hopkins University United States 56.921.4%2.1×10,270 +17.0%
8Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Romania 56.120.1%3.3×2,443 +119.2%
9Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai United States 55.917.2%2.8×6,416 +52.4%
10Medical University of Vienna Austria 54.418.9%3.0×4,210 +11.5%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Health Sciences research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 30% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Public Health and Nutrition, Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes and Cardiac Valve Diseases and Treatments.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Public Health and Nutrition+4023%
  2. Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes+135%
  3. Cardiac Valve Diseases and Treatments+119%
  4. Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet+117%
  5. Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation+98%
  6. Health, Medicine and Society+96%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Health Sciences include?

Liver Disease Diagnosis …122kLiver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment: 122k fractional worksMonoclonal and Polyclona…110kMonoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research: 110k fractional worksDiet and metabolism studies: 102k fractional worksCardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical Outcomes: 98k fractional worksCardiac Imaging and Diagnostics: 89k fractional worksAsthma and respiratory d…87kAsthma and respiratory diseases: 87k fractional worksCardiovascular Function and Risk Factors: 86k fractional worksPublic Health and Nutrition: 85k fractional worksNeonatal Respiratory Hea…85kNeonatal Respiratory Health Research: 85k fractional worksMedical Imaging Techniques and Applications: 84k fractional worksCardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias: 82k fractional worksAdipose Tissue and Metab…81kAdipose Tissue and Metabolism: 81k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.