All six basic science departments rank in the top 10 in National Institutes of Health funding for federal fiscal year 2024 and 13 clinical departments rank in the top 30.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC School of Medicine ranked sixth among peer public universities in total National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for federal fiscal year 2024 and 19th in the country, according to a new report published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. The total amount was more than $349 million. That total does not include research and development contracts with the NIH.
Blue Ridge is an independent nonprofit based in western North Carolina that releases annual rankings of NIH funding to colleges and universities. That funding serves as a foundation for research in areas such as genetics, cancer, biomedical engineering, neurosciences and much more.
“Our researchers use NIH funding to advance discoveries, cures, and treatments related to many types of human disease,” said Dr. Blossom Damania, vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine and chief scientific officer at UNC Health. “We greatly appreciate the support we receive from NIH and other agencies, which fosters work that will improve health and medicine for generations to come.”
The total amount of research funding to the school, including from the NIH, stands at more than half a billion dollars and accounts for more than half of the research funding to UNC-Chapel Hill.
Each basic science department’s ranking is below, including each ranking among public universities in parentheses:
- Biochemistry & Biophysics, 5th (3rd)
- Biomedical Engineering, 8th(5th)
- Cell Biology & Physiology, 3rd(3rd)
- Genetics, 2nd (1st)
- Microbiology & Immunology, 9th(4th)
- Pharmacology, 5th(3rd)
Thirteen clinical departments rank in the top 30 for NIH funding. Each department ranking among public schools is in parentheses:
- Anesthesiology, 15th (6th)
- Dermatology, 26th(10th)
- Emergency Medicine 19th(10th)
- Family Medicine, 11th(11th)
- Medicine, 22nd(7th)
- Obstetrics & Gynecology, 15th(8th)
- Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, 21st (13th)
- Pediatrics, 23rd (8th)
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 18th(8th)
- Psychiatry, 18th(7th)
- Radiology (includes radiation oncology), 23rd(11th)
- Surgery, 29th (14th)
- Urology, 28th (13th)
The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is ranked 4th in total NIH funding, 1st among public universities. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is ranked 2nd behind UC-San Francisco.
About UNC School of Medicine
The UNC School of Medicine (SOM) is the state’s largest medical school, graduating more than 200 new physicians each year. Its faculty includes 21 members of the national academies and two Nobel laureates. The UNC School of Medicine receives more than $648 million in research funding annually. It has more than 2,000 total students, and its alumni go into health careers with less student loan debt than many of their peers across the country.
About UNC Health
UNC Health is a state entity and an affiliated enterprise of the University of North Carolina system, comprised of nearly 20 hospitals and more than 900 clinics along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine (SOM). It exists to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others we serve and to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina SOM. UNC Health provided more than $800 million in Uncompensated Charity Care during the past five years. Our hospitals have received numerous awards and recognition for quality care, patient safety, and the overall patient experience.