PEORIA – (January 29, 2012) Ryan Finkenbine, M.D., Chair and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine for the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, was named among the Best Doctors in America by his peers.

Founded in 1989 by Harvard Medical School physicians, Best Doctors serves 30 million members in 70 countries. For over 20 years, the organization has asked physicians to identify the doctors they consider the leaders in their field.

The selection process is based upon an extensive, impartial, peer-review survey that involves thousands of doctors nationwide. Only those who earn the consensus support of other physicians are included, resulting in a registry of the top five percent of U.S. doctors, according to Best Doctors. Physicians cannot pay to become a Best Doctor, nor does the organization pay physicians for inclusion.

This is the eighth year Finkenbine has earned such recognition.

Finkenbine, board certified in general and forensic psychiatry, came to UICOMP in 2009. Since then, Finkenbine and his staff in collaboration with Methodist Medical Center have developed a psychiatry residency program, which is ACGME-accredited and accepted its first group of students in 2011.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Finkenbine maintains an active forensic practice. Over the past decade, he has conducted or coordinated hundreds of criminal and civil forensic evaluations.

One of four campuses that make up the largest public medical school in the United States, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria is a leader in education and research. Located in Downtown Peoria, UICOMP educates more than 150 medical students annually and offers 20 graduate medical training programs. UICOMP also is home to the cutting-edge Cancer Research Center and a partner in the Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center. UICOMP physicians provide care to thousands of patients each year.