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All six basic science departments rank in the top 10 in National Institutes of Health funding, according to a new report by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, and 12 clinical departments rank in the top 30.


The UNC School of Medicine ranked 17th in the country in total National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for federal fiscal year 2019 and 6th among peer public universities, according to a new report published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. The total dollar amount is $316,414,052, a jump of $23,404,151 from 2018. The school has increased its NIH funding each year since 2015. The total amount of research funding to the school, including from the NIH, now stands at $510,750,975

All six basic science departments rank in the top 10 for NIH Funding, five in the top five. The rank among public schools of medicine is in parentheses:

Biomedical Engineering, 3rd (1st)

Microbiology & Immunology, 3rd (2nd)

Cell Biology & Physiology, 4th (3rd)

Biochemistry & Biophysics, 5th (3rd)

Pharmacology, 5th (4th)

Genetics, 6th (1st)

Twelve clinical departments rank in the top 30 for NIH funding. The rank among public schools of medicine is in parentheses:

Obstetrics & Gynecology, 3rd (2nd)

Family Medicine, 6th (6th)

Emergency Medicine 8th (4th)

Medicine, 12th (4th)

Anesthesiology, 14th (7th)

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 16th (7th)

Psychiatry, 16th (7th)

Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 18th (9th)

Dermatology, 22nd (9th)

Pediatrics, 22nd (11th)

Radiology (includes radiation oncology), 22nd (8th)

Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, 26th (11th)

“Our faculty, staff, students, and fellows do amazing work at UNC every day, reflected in the many scientific and medical discoveries that advance human health and society each year,” said Blossom Damania, PhD, vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine. “These NIH rankings are a reflection of their dedication and effort, their collaborative passion to push biomedical science forward with the ultimate goal of helping people.”

The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is ranked 3rd in total NIH funding, 1st among public universities. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is ranked 2nd behind UC-San Fransicso. The UNC School of Nursing is ranked 16th, 8th among public schools. The UNC Adams School of Dentistry is ranked 29th, 18th among public schools.

Media contact: Mark Derewicz, 984-974-1915, mark.derewicz@unchealth.unc.edu