Oklahoma Children's OU Health landed Top 50 spots in three pediatric specialties in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals rankings, a first for the Oklahoma City hospital.

Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery ranked No. 24, up from No. 38 last year. Pediatric Nephrology came in at No. 44, and Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery placed No. 49, according to the hospital. Nephrology and neurosciences both reached the Top 50 for the first time.

Oklahoma Children's is the state's only comprehensive pediatric hospital.

"For children and families across Oklahoma, this recognition is reassurance that they can receive world-class care close to home," said Michael Steiner, physician-in-chief at Oklahoma Children's and chair of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

The cardiology program's jump of 14 spots came during a year of milestones. The pediatric heart team performs about 500 surgeries a year and reports a 98.8% survival rate, which the hospital said exceeds the national average. In August, the team performed Oklahoma's first partial heart transplant on an infant, using living-donor heart valves that may grow with the child. Fewer than 50 such procedures had been performed nationwide at the time, according to OU Health.

Harold Burkhart, director of the pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program, said the Top 25 finish reflects the team's daily work. He added that a planned Heart Center, backed by state legislative funding and a $20 million gift from the Presbyterian Health Foundation announced in September 2025, will bring cardiac services under one roof.

The nephrology program offers Oklahoma's only dedicated pediatric hemodialysis and outpatient peritoneal dialysis services for children and teens. It was also the first hospital in the state to perform a robot-assisted kidney transplant, according to the hospital.

The neurology and neurosurgery program includes Oklahoma City's only board-certified pediatric neurosurgeons, the state's only neuromuscular specialist and its only pediatric epileptologist. It houses a Level 4 epilepsy center accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.

The Journal Record, Oklahoma's daily business paper, also noted the rankings on Thursday, Sept. 17.

The hospital is preparing to open the Oklahoma Children's OU Health Presbyterian Health Foundation Heart Center. The Center is projected to open its doors in early 2030.