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Recent scientific advances such as the molecular genetic revolution, publication of the human genome, and high-performance computing are accelerating the development of new medical diagnostics, treatments, and cures. At the same time, exposure to research provides aspiring physicians with an appreciation of the processes leading to current and future cutting-edge medicine. At the UVa School of Medicine, we use a collaborative research model, built around multidisciplinary teams of basic and clinical scientists who are organized to answer disease- or organ-based problems.
This approach builds upon the strength of our basic science departments, three of which rank among the top 15 in the nation in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, and on several areas of research excellence within our clinical departments.
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| Discoveries being made in these laboratories fuel an expansive translational research effort aimed at bridging the gap between bench and bedside and translating promising laboratory findings rapidly into clinical applications for patients in our Medical Center and wherever medicine is practiced. |
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Major NIH Research Grants
In federal fiscal year 2005, UVa was ranked 33rd among medical schools in NIH research awards, with a total of $133.6 million. This represents an increase of 62 percent in the prior five years.
Major new NIH research awards in the past year include:
- $35.7 million to Alan F. "Rick" Horwitz, Ph.D., representing the renewal of a multi-institution consortium on cell migration led by UVa. This group will elucidate the mechanisms underlying cell adhesion during migration, which is of critical importance to our understanding of areas as diverse as embryonic development, tissue regeneration, tumor formation and spread, and wound repair.
- $15.7 million to Stephen S. Rich, Ph.D., representing the transfer to UVa leadership of a consortium that is uncovering the genetic basis of Type 1 diabetes. Dr. Rich heads the new UVa Center for Public Health Genomics.
- $5.7 million to Peter B. Ernst, D.V.M, Ph.D., for a program to develop immunotherapy against pathogens and toxins that can be used as bioterror agents. The School of Medicine also is a member of the Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research. Under the direction of Erik L. Hewlett, M.D., the SOM is conducting studies that will develop basic knowledge and vaccines for biodefense.
- $5.1 million to Thomas A. E. Platts-Mills, M.D., Ph.D., to study the effects of allergens, chronic sinusitis, and the immune system to asthma and allergic disease, and the changes in airway pH resulting from these conditions.
- $4.2 million to William A. Petri, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., to develop a vaccine to prevent infection of humans by Entamoeba histolytica, the cause of amebiasis and a leading cause of death among parasitic diseases.
NIH Rankings 2005
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Basic Science Departments
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Clinical Departments
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Cell Biology
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4
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Urology
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5
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Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics
Microbiology
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10
15
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Otolaryngology
Orthopaedic Surgery
Neurology
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16
17
23
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Pharmacology
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25
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Radiology
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23
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Biochemistry
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27
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Anesthesiology
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25
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Neuroscience
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29
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Pathology
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30
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Medicine
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32
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