Shepherd Center Physicians Listed on U.S. News Media Group’s List of “Top Doctors”

Four staff physicians at Shepherd Center are listed on the U.S. News Top Doctors list released today by U.S. News Media Group. The list is available in a free, searchable directory available at www.usnews.com/top-doctors. It lists nearly 30,000 peer-nominated physicians from across the country. Shepherd Center physicians on the list are Medical Director Donald Peck Leslie, M.D., Associate Medical Director Brock Bowman, M.D., Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit Herndon Murray, M.D., and Medical Director of Neurosurgical Services Roger Frankel, M.D. The U.S. News listing indicates that Dr. Leslie is ranked in the top 1 percent of physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians in the nation. Brief bios of each physician are available at www.shepherd.org/about/medical-staff.

“Shepherd Center is blessed to have doctors who not only provide high quality medical care but truly show caring and compassion for their patients and families,” said Gary Ulicny, Ph.D., president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We are extremely proud to have four physicians affiliated with Shepherd Center be recognized nationally for this prestigious honor.”

U.S. News Top Doctors was created in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of America’s Top Doctors and other consumer health guides. It draws from Castle Connolly’s database of Top Doctors, all recommended for their clinical skills by other doctors and individually vetted by a physician-led research team. Consumers can search for a Top Doctor by location, hospital affiliation, and a full range of specialties and subspecialties.

U.S. News Top Doctors builds on the Best Hospitals rankings, which U.S. News updated last week. In that list, Shepherd Center was ranked No. 10 nationally among rehabilitation hospitals and No. 3 in the metro Atlanta rankings of all types of hospitals. Health consumers can now see which Top Doctors practice at the 700-plus hospitals in the 22nd annual Best Hospitals rankings by visiting www.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

“For decades, the Best Hospitals rankings have helped guide patients who need an especially high level of care to hospitals that excel in providing it,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News health rankings editor. “Top Doctors has a similar mission. We want to help consumers find the doctors in their area who come highly recommended by other physicians.”

Castle Connolly assembled the roster of Top Doctors by soliciting nominations from physicians in academic medical centers, specialty hospitals, and regional hospitals and physicians in private practice. Its research team then reviewed each nominee’s training, achievements, and appointments, among other credentials.

"We believe this brings important information on excellent physicians directly into the hands of consumers,” said John J. Connolly, Ed.D., president and CEO of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. “Given the unsettled future of the delivery and financing of healthcare and the changing nature of physician practices, it is critical that consumers have trusted sources of high-quality information about both doctors and hospitals.”