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All six basic science departments rank in the top 6 in National Institutes of Health funding for federal fiscal year 2021, according to a new report by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, and 12 clinical departments rank in the top 30. Half of the school’s basic science departments (three) are ranked first among peer public schools of medicine.


The UNC School of Medicine ranked 18th in the country in total National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for federal fiscal year 2021 and 5th among peer public universities, according to a new report published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. The total dollar amount is $347,792,867, about $2 million more than FY 2020. This amount does not include research and development contracts with the NIH.

The UNC School of Medicine has increased its NIH funding each year since 2015. The total amount of research funding to the school, including from the NIH, stands at more than half a billion dollars.

Below, each department’s ranking among public universities is in parentheses:

Cell Biology & Physiology, 1st

Genetics, 3rd (1st)

Biomedical Engineering, 4th (1st)

Pharmacology, 4th (4th)

Biochemistry & Biophysics, 5th (3rd)

Microbiology & Immunology, 6th (3rd)

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

Obstetrics & Gynecology, 4th (3rd)

Family Medicine, 11th (10th)

Emergency Medicine 13th (6th)

Dermatology, 18th (7th)

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 18th (9th)

Medicine, 19th (7th)

Psychiatry, 19th (9th)

Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, 20th (11th)

Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 21st (10th)

Radiology (includes radiation oncology), 24th (10th)

Pediatrics, 25th (12th)

Urology, 30th (14th)

“I am incredibly proud of our research faculty, staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows who dedicate themselves to scientific inquiry for the betterment of human health every day,” said Blossom Damania, PhD, vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine. “These numbers tell only part of the story. Our research faculty are passionate about their work, they collaborate in meaningful ways to push biomedical science forward, and they are wonderful mentors of the next generation of scientists.”

The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is ranked 5th in total NIH funding, 1st among public universities. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is ranked 2nd behind UC-San Francisco. The UNC School of Nursing is ranked 12th, 7th among public schools. NC State ranked 6th in veterinary medicine, 4th among public schools.

Media contact: Mark Derewicz