Keck School of Medicine receives its highest NIH 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 Population and Public Health Sciences ranked No. 2 nationally in funding

Keck School of Medicine recently received the school’s highest ranking in 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 received more than $140.8 million in NIH grants during this time.

The USC Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Population and Public Health Sciences both ranked No. 2 nationally among the nation’s ophthalmology and preventive medicine departments receiving NIH funds.

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

• Ophthalmology – No. 2
• Population and Public Health Sciences – No. 2
• Otolaryngology – No. 11
• Microbiology – No. 17
• Neurology – No. 18
• Urology – No. 18
• Physiology – No. 20

“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 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 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.”

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