June 8, 2005

Penn’s School of Medicine Ranked #2 in Nation for NIH Research Awards
Record $393.6 Million Received; Up 9.4% from Prior Year

(Philadelphia, PA) - According to figures released today from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine ranks #2 in the nation in terms of total research awards to academic medical schools in the United States. For Fiscal Year 2004, Penn received 947 total awards -- including research and training grants -- worth more than $393.6 million. This total represents a 9.4% increase from the previous year. The NIH is the single largest source of funding for biomedical research and training in the nation, and their annual rankings are considered an important barometer of research strength.

"The latest NIH rankings stand as yet another example of our ongoing efforts to strive for excellence at Penn," said Dr. Arthur H. Rubenstein, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine. "These invaluable NIH awards help us to achieve and maintain our extremely high standards for faculty research and medical education -- which ultimately benefit our patients."

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is one of the premier medical schools in the country, with 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students. Penn researchers have achieved many significant medical advances as a direct result of NIH funding to support their work. Indeed, Penn’s School of Medicine remains at the forefront of rapidly and safely translating basic-science discoveries into effective therapies and treatments for patients.

In terms of total NIH research and training awards in Fiscal Year 2004, the top recipient in the United States is Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The number three- and four-ranked medical schools were the University of California / San Francisco, and Washington University School of Medicine, respectively.

###

PENN Medicine is a $2.7 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

Penn Health System is comprised of: its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; Presbyterian Medical Center; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home health care and hospice.

This release is available online at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun05/SOMNIH.htm