School of Medicine maintains research funding ranking, Department of Family Medicine in top five nationwide
The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research's annual analysis of NIH grants reflects the school's commitment to scientific and medical research.
Three departments in the VCU School of Medicine rank among the top 25 departments in the nation in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and researchers, according to the recently released 2024 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research Rankings. The School of Medicine maintained its ranking of 60th in the nation, a three-spot jump from 2022 and marking the fifth consecutive year the school’s funding has increased from the previous year.
Overall funding increased by 8.3% from 2023 to a total of $83.8 million. Three departments rank in the top 25, with the Department of Psychiatry moving up from 24th to 23rd and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology maintaining its spot at 20th. The most significant increase was the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, which moved up ten spots and now ranks fourth in the nation.
Addiction research continues to be a strength for the School of Medicine, with funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism increasing by one spot to 7th in the U.S., and National Institute on Drug Abuse increasing two spots to 17th.
Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine, commended the school’s researchers for their continued commitment to advancing scientific knowledge.
“As we continue to navigate the evolving and uncertain landscape of academic research and federal funding, I remain humbled and inspired by our collective strength and resolve,” Saavedra said. “Our success, as documented by the most recent Blue Ridge rankings, underscores our commitment to move forward in our research mission to drive innovation and discovery in medicine that benefits the communities we serve.”
The BRIMR is a preeminent organization that analyzes and ranks NIH-funded researchers and institutions based on federal data from the prior fiscal year. Known as the Blue Ridge Rankings, the annual release provides medical schools with a benchmark for comparison.
The School of Medicine’s immediate Blue Ridge ranking neighbors include the Pennsylvania State University Medical Center Hershey (61st), Brown University (62nd), University of Nebraska Medical Center (64th), Thomas Jefferson University (65th) and University of South Florida (66th).
