(Philadelphia, PA) - According to figures released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine ranks 2nd in the nation in terms of total research awards to academic medical schools in the United States. For Fiscal Year 2005, Penn received 924 total awards - including research and training grants - worth more than $399 million. This total represents a 1.4% 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 NIH rankings remain a testimony to our continuing efforts to maintain research 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 awards help us to expand our excellent 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. 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 2005, 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 School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine, respectively.

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PENN Medicine is a $2.9 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 #3 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.