Research

FIU College of Medicine leaps in rankings for research funded by the NIH

College of Medicine researcher Evgeny Zemskov in his lab at CTS.

Each year, the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) publishes a list of medical schools and the research funding they received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the prior year. The latest Blue Ridge Rankings report, for fiscal year 2022, is great news for the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

“I am exceptionally proud that we are now ranked 107 in the country!” said Stephen Black, associate dean for research and chair of the Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology at the College of Medicine. Moving up 16 spots from 2021 to 2022 “marks the biggest jump of any US medical school this year!”

In that period, the medical school nearly doubled NIH funding from $5.4M to $9.99M, the second-highest percentage increase in funding (46%) nationwide. Among public medical schools, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine now ranks 68 in NIH funding.

Stephen Black, PhD

“Undoubtedly, we owe this accomplishment to the hard work, unwavering determination, and exceptional talent of our research faculty,” said Black, who also heads the Center for Translational Science at FIU (CTS).

In addition to Black, the CTS houses several College of Medicine researchers. The state-of-the-art facility in Port St. Lucie has become an important partner in training the next generation of scientists and physicians. And offers a strong focus on teaching doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.

“We are still a young medical school, and the competition for federal research funding is fierce,” said Dr. Juan Cendan, dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “However, we are committed to growing our research footprint, and this ranking is a direct result of our efforts to attract top scientists who will advance health and health care.”