Keck School of Medicine of USC Receives its Highest National Institutes of Health Funding Ranking to Date

Keck School of Medicine of USC Receives its Highest National Institutes of Health Funding Ranking to Date

Keck School of Medicine of USC ranks No. 1 in funds received per principal investigator; USC Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Preventive Medicine ranked No. 2 nationally in funding

Contact: Cynthia Smith at [email protected] or 323-442-3811

Newswise — LOS ANGELES – Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) recently received the school’s highest ranking in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding since the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research began its annual ranking of medical schools in 2006. The rankings represent total NIH funding granted from October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016. Keck School of Medicine of USC received more than $140.8 million in NIH grants during this time.

In addition to overall funding to medical schools, the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings also break down funding by academic discipline. The USC Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC both ranked No. 2 nationally among the nation’s ophthalmology and preventive medicine departments receiving NIH funds.

Overall, seven Keck School of Medicine of USC departments ranked within the top-20 NIH-funded in their respective departments:

OphthalmologyRank - No. 2Total NIH Funding - $12,347,629

Preventive MedicineRank - No. 2Total NIH Funding - $33,223,457

OtolaryngologyRank - No. 11Total NIH Funding - $2,943,382

MicrobiologyRank - No. 17Total NIH Funding - $12,570,057

NeurologyRank - No. 18Total NIH Funding - $10,803,331

UrologyRank - No. 18Total NIH Funding - $1,111,928

PhysiologyRank - No. 20Total NIH Funding - $6,896,225

“Keck School of Medicine’s current positioning represents the most impressive ranking of NIH funding the school has received to date,” said Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, dean of the Keck School of Medicine and director of the USC Roski Eye Institute. “Our strong performance and rise in rankings reflect the ground-breaking work of our world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff and committed researchers, including the addition of 19 new principal investigators in the last year.”

The Keck School of Medicine of USC also ranked No. 1 in NIH funds received per principal investigator. A total of 158 principal investigators received an average of more than $891,000, securing the school’s place in that top spot.

“The Keck School of Medicine of USC No. 1 ranking in NIH funds received per principal investigator demonstrates the strength of researchers that we attract at the Keck School,” said Thomas A. Buchanan, MD, vice dean for research, Keck School of Medicine. “These competitive grants allow us to further innovate and support our mission to improve the quality of life for individuals and society by promoting health, preventing and curing disease, advancing biomedical research and educating tomorrow’s physicians and scientists.”

Several large grants contributed to the Keck School’s increase in NIH funding, including the renewal of the Clinical & Translational Science Award and several significant new grants in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and the departments of preventive medicine, neurology, medicine and pathology.

The full 2016 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research NIH rankings can be found at www.brimr.org.

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ABOUT THE KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USCFounded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is among the nation’s leaders in innovative patient care, scientific discovery, education, and community service. It is part of Keck Medicine of USC, the University of Southern California's medical enterprise, one of only two university-owned academic medical centers in the Los Angeles area. This includes the Keck Medical Center of USC, composed of the Keck Hospital of USC and the USC Norris Cancer Hospital. The two world-class, USC-owned hospitals are staffed by more than 500 physicians who are faculty at the Keck School. The school today has more than 1,500 full-time faculty members and voluntary faculty of more than 2,400 physicians. These faculty direct the education of approximately 700 medical students and 1,000 students pursuing graduate and post-graduate degrees. The school trains more than 900 resident physicians in more than 50 specialty or subspecialty programs and is the largest educator of physicians practicing in Southern California. Together, the school's faculty and residents serve more than 1.5 million patients each year at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, as well as USC-affiliated hospitals Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. Keck School faculty also conduct research and teach at several research centers and institutes, including the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at USC, the USC Cardiovascular Thoracic Institute, the USC Roski Eye Institute and the USC Institute of Urology.

In 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Keck School of Medicine among the Top 40 medical schools in the country.

For more information, go to keck.usc.edu.