The Wayne State University School of Medicine climbed yet another year in National Institutes of Health medical research funding.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which provides an annual ranking of NIH funding to medical schools and individual departments, this year placed the WSU School of Medicine 73rd nationally and second in Michigan among medical schools securing NIH grant funding in 2022, with a total of $53,250,264 in grants. In 2021, the school ranked 74th nationally.

Two departments – the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences – are among the nation’s top 20 departments in NIH grant funding. 

The Department of Emergency Medicine ranks sixth in the nation, up from seventh last year, (second in Michigan) with $5,850,885 in NIH grant funding.

The Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences ranks 17th in the nation (second in Michigan) with $1,478,079 in funding.

Eight departments rank in the top 50 nationally.

“Research prowess is what makes Wayne State University’s reputation,” said Linda Hazlett, Ph.D., vice dean of Research and Graduate Programs for the School of Medicine. “I am very proud of all our research scientists in making the intellectual effort to stay funded and changing the world of medicine for the better.”

In addition to Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, WSU departments ranking in the top 50 in the nation include:

The Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics ranks 35th nationwide (second in Michigan) with $3,612,254 in grants. The center climbed from 39th last year.

The Department of Physiology, which placed 39th last year, now ranks 36th (second in Michigan) with $5,016,608 in funding.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranks 34th nationally (third in Michigan) with $1,997,590 in grants from the NIH.

The Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences ranks 21st nationally (second in Michigan), with $5,891,927 in funding.

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ranks 29th nationally (second in Michigan) with  $231,000 in funding.

The Department of Radiology, which last year placed 39th, now ranks 30th nationally (second in Michigan) with $5,900,763 in grants.

Departments in the top 100 in the nation include:

The Department of Pharmacology ranks 62nd nationally (second in Michigan) with $2,626,661 in funding. 

The Department of Internal Medicine ranks 72nd nationally (second in Michigan) with grants totaling $10,741,417.

The Department of Neurology, which last year ranked 69th, placed 61st nationally (second in Michigan) with $1,419,130 in funding.

The Department of Pathology ranks 79th nationally (second in Michigan) with $592,199 in NIH grants.

The Department of Pediatrics ranks 57th nationally, up from 60th last year (third in Michigan) with $2,588,193 in funding.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences ranks 52nd nationally (second in Michigan) with $4,487,944 in grants.

The Department of Biochemistry ranks 91st in the nation (second in Michigan) with $380,140 in funding.

The Department of Microbiology ranks 92nd in the nation (third in Michigan) with $435,474 in funding (departments combined in 2017 to form the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology).

Overall, the WSU School of Medicine ranks second in the state of Michigan’s medical schools in NIH grant funding.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research has monitored NIH funding to medical schools and other health science schools and organizations since 2006. It generates an annual ranking of NIH funding for U.S. medical schools and their departments.