The 2024 edition of the World’s Top 2% Scientists list was released on September 16th, marking the fifth consecutive year of publication. This year, approximately 220,000 scientists were recognized globally, an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to last year. Taiwan had a total of 1,407 scientists across various fields, with 356 from the clinical medicine sector, up 20 from the previous year. For the fifth year in a row, Dr. Chen, Liang-Kung, Director of Taipei Municipal Guandu Hospital, ranked as the top clinical doctor in Taiwan, maintaining his position since the list’s inception.
In the field of clinical medicine, Dr. Chin-Hsiao Tseng from the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) ranked second after his retirement from the Department of Internal Medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), followed by Dr. Ann-Lii Cheng, Honorary Director of the National Taiwan University Cancer Center, in third place. The Veterans General Hospital (VGH) system saw six physicians ranked in the top 20 this year, surpassing NTUH for the first time, which had only four, down from eight last year. This shift was partly due to the reclassification of Dr. Tseng and Dr. Yang, Pan-Chyr, who are now affiliated with the NHRI and Academia Sinica, respectively.
Among the top 20 clinical doctors, six are from the VGH system, four from NTUH, three from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, two from Kaohsiung Medical University, and one each from Mackay Memorial Hospital, China Medical University, and Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital.
Impact of COVID-19 on Global Research Citations
Following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant decline in global scientific paper citations, with the impact factors of major journals also dropping. This affected individual rankings, making this year’s list highly anticipated by the global scientific community. Taiwan’s 1,407 scientists on the list were comparable to last year’s 1,419, but with a global increase of nearly 10,000 scientists, Taiwan's share did not grow, signaling a concern among experts.
However, the number of Taiwanese scientists recognized in the field of clinical medicine has been steadily increasing, from 241 in 2021, to 324 in 2022, 336 in 2023, and now 356 in 2024. This reflects the improving performance of clinical medical research in Taiwan.
Dr. Chen, Liang-Kung’s Continued Leadership
Dr. Chen, Liang-Kung maintained his position as Taiwan’s top clinical doctor and saw his global ranking rise significantly, from 6,529 in 2022 to 4,513 in 2023, and now to 2,620 in 2024. His steady ascent not only solidifies his leadership in Taiwan but also highlights his prominence on the international stage, particularly in the field of geriatric medicine, where his work is highly regarded.
Dr. Chen Wei-Ming, Director of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, expressed his pride in the hospital's achievements in geriatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics, and family medicine. He emphasized that Taipei VGH, as a national medical center, is fully committed to supporting research and encourages younger generations to contribute to the field without pressure. Dr. Chen praised Dr. Liang-Kung Chen’s outstanding achievements, noting that he and his team have published three studies in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, averaging one paper per year. Dr. Wei-Ming lauded Dr. Chen for his unique foresight, intelligence, and collaborative spirit, which have contributed to his remarkable success.
Dr. Wei-Ming recalled attending a conference in Japan with Dr. Chen, where he witnessed firsthand the impact of Dr. Chen's collaborations with leading Japanese scholars. Beyond international collaborations, Dr. Chen has also partnered with domestic institutions, such as National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, to further elevate Taiwan’s academic progress in geriatric medicine.
Advancing Geriatric Research and International Collaboration
Dr. Chen, who has topped the clinical medicine rankings in Taiwan for five consecutive years, mentioned in an interview that the ranking is closely followed globally, especially since it is based on highly cited papers and authors. He emphasized the importance of visibility for academic institutions and expressed both pride and pressure in maintaining his top position. He noted that the ranking's criteria—such as the number of papers, citations, and author positions—have gained widespread recognition within the international academic community.
Dr. Chen stressed the importance of addressing the challenges posed by Taiwan’s rapidly aging population using scientific approaches rather than relying solely on past experiences. He warned that without leveraging scientific insights, efforts to tackle aging-related issues could be in vain.
In his role at Guandu Hospital, Dr. Chen has initiated the creation of healthy and age-friendly communities over the past three years. With the support of the Veterans Affairs Council and Taipei VGH, he plans to expand the “One Branch, One Community” initiative to the affiliated hospitals of VGH and Veterans General Hospitals across Taiwan, bringing cutting-edge research to benefit the public.
Dr. Chen also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, stating that his team has already formed the West Pacific Healthy Longevity Alliance with Japan and Singapore. In 2025, they plan to sign a collaboration agreement with the World Health Organization’s European Healthy Longevity Research Center, expanding their efforts from Asia to a global scale.
Looking to the Future
Dr. Chen concluded by emphasizing the need for government support to ensure that research outcomes can be integrated into the lives of the general public. He stressed that Taiwan has a solid foundation for promoting international collaboration in geriatric medicine and can play a leading role in shaping the global approach to healthy aging.
The World’s Top 2% Scientists list has become a major annual event for the global scientific community. Compiled by experts at Stanford University using data from Scopus, the list evaluates scientists based on six key criteria, including total citations, Hirsch h-index, and citation counts for papers authored individually, as the first author, or as the last author. This comprehensive evaluation reflects the impact of a scientist's research contributions on the academic world.
Resource (mandarin): 全球前2%頂尖科學家公布 台灣臨床前20名醫師名單揭曉
