In its 2024 ranking, the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research has placed the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as the nation’s 2nd highest academic surgical department in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
The department received more than $33.8 million in grants in 2024.
“Our department has long been a pioneer in cutting edge research, from basic and translational science to public health science to clinical trials and innovation,” says John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD, the William K. Bixby Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. “This recognition demonstrates our continued commitment to advancing academic surgery through world-class research programs. I am incredibly proud of our investigators, public health experts, surgeon-scientists, trainees and research staff for their ongoing efforts to discover knowledge in service of our patients.”
The Department of Surgery has placed in the top 4 since the Blue Ridge rankings began in 2006.
Among the many NIH grants led by Department of Surgery researchers are R01 and T32 grants awarded across specialties including cardiac surgery, acute and critical care surgery, cardiovascular innovation, public health sciences and urology.
“Blue Ridge rankings are widely regarded as a measure of research vitality among academic medical centers across the United States,” says Mohamed Zayed, MD, PhD, MBA, a professor of surgery, radiology, molecular cell biology and biomedical engineering, director of the Division of Surgical Sciences within the Department of Surgery at WashU Medicine. “Achieving consistently high research funding requires strong infrastructure, support from leadership at all levels, and a spirit of inquiry and collaboration—all of which are thriving at Washington University.”
The School of Medicine also ranked 2nd highest nationally among all medical schools for NIH funding in 2024, with several departments placing among the nation’s highest in funding for their specialties.