The long-running Shondaland medical drama Grey's Anatomy has had a medley of characters over the years, some ambitious, some relatively less, but all considerably talented and devoted to saving as many lives as possible. As accomplished surgeons, these characters are held in high esteem by their colleagues and peers and by society in general.
While the likes of Cristina Yang, Derek Shepherd, Meredith Grey, and Catherine Fox have carved a niche for themselves within the medical community and are recognized far and wide for their brilliance, some of the others like Owen Hunt or Jackson Avery crave less spotlight, although they still occupy very high social standing. Still others like Jo Wilson are yet to command the same respect as their seniors have done but possess the drive to reach the top of their fields.
Jo
The sprightly Jo has fought against all odds to be an attending surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial. She is all set to make it big in the surgical world as she has both ambition and talent.
Jo is young still and has a lot to catch up on. In time she might go on to become a highly respected, award-winning surgeon if the writers give her the appropriate arc. But for the time being, she isn't particularly well-known or wealthy (although she does own a share in the hospital, the one that Alex had passed on to Jo in their divorce settlement.
Owen Hunt
Owen is a respected trauma surgeon with a past as an army doctor. However, despite being very good at what he does, he doesn't have a penchant for the name and fame that comes with being a top surgeon.
Owen was, of course, the Chief of Surgery of the hospital for several years until he stepped down from the position. His position would have made him coveted enough at least for some time but at present, he is not particularly ambitious and keeps a relatively low profile.
Arizona Robbins
Arizona Robbins is a top peds surgeon and was, until recently, the Head of Peds at Grey Sloan Memorial. She then also specialized in fetal surgery, becoming one of the few fetal surgeons in the country, making her a valuable asset in any hospital.
Arizona also won a prestigious grant that would have allowed her to bring modern Western medicine to children in Africa. She is something of a force of nature and definitely has a very high social standing indeed. She was supposed to have moved to the Big Apple in season 14 to open and create the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health. She is no doubt a hotshot surgeon there at present.
Jackson Avery
Jackson Avery is medical royalty, coming from one of the wealthiest families in the community. On top of his inheritance, he also represents the Catherine Fox Foundation, is on the board at the hospital, and is a highly respected plastic surgeon and ENT.
In terms of both wealth and social standing, Jackson is thus quite well-placed when it comes to social rank and status.
Miranda Bailey
The first female Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial, Miranda Bailey is also a top general surgeon. More recently, she received the commission for her invention, the Tailbalzer, which has yielded some unexpectedly high dividends.
Thus, in terms of social standing, Miranda ranks pretty high. Unlike Jackson or Meredith, Miranda didn't grow up around surgeons but had to fight with her own family to achieve her dreams.
Richard Webber
Richard Webber had been the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace hospital for many years and gained respect from all. Across the medical community, many surgeons lauded him for mentoring hundreds and passing on his wisdom to the students, including the likes of Meredith Grey and Miranda Bailey.
Webber is still motivated to do good research and contribute towards medical science. He is like a father figure to the surgical interns, residents, and doctors at the hospital and held in very high regard by all.
Catherine Fox
Catherine Fox is one of the strongest personalities on the show. Not only is she a brilliant and ambitious urologist, but she is also one of the most powerful characters on the show.
Catherine also played a part in purchasing Grey Sloan Memorial when the hospital was on the verge of going bankrupt and has shown to hold a lot of sway over how the hospital is run. Catherine is one of the top names in the medical world in the Grey's universe and her wealth and fame put her towards the top of our list.
Meredith Grey
Meredith is definitely royalty, as far as the medical world is concerned. Not only is she the daughter of Ellis Grey, but she is also the Head of Grey Sloan's General Surgery and a Catherine Fox award winner.
The kind of esteem that Meredith is held in became clear in the season 16 episode, " My Shot," where Alex Karev managed to bring together many of the patients whose lives Meredith had saved over the years. He also got letters from most of the doctors Meredith had worked with in the past, from Cristina to Izzie and April Kepner, all of whom gave her glowing testimonials.
Derek Shepherd
Derek Shepherd is unfortunately not around anymore after he passed away shockingly in season 11 following a devastating car crash.
But had Derek been around, he would have been one of the most high-profile of the doctors and staff at Grey Sloan. He was already a big shot when he moved from NY to Seattle, but his career continued to grow from there. He was briefly Chief of Surgery at the hospital, and eventually, his fame reached as far as the White House and he was commissioned by the President himself to lead a panel that was mapping the human brain. As one of the most sought-after neurosurgeons in the world, Derek's hands were worth millions of dollars an hour.
Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang is one of a kind, having commanded the respect of her seniors and celebrated attendings when she was just an intern and a resident.
Yang is a top cardiothoracic surgeon and her current position as the Director of a renowned medical research center in Switzerland, the Klausman Institute for Medical Research, only adds to her glamor. She is at the top of her game and undoubtedly one of the most coveted surgeons the world over.