The UNC School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five public universities in the United States for receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the 2025 federal fiscal year. According to a report by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the school received $353 million in NIH funding, which is an increase of $4 million compared to last year.
Dr. Blossom Damania, vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine and chief scientific officer at UNC Health, commented on this achievement. “Our researchers use NIH funding to push forward fundamental research that discovers new biology paradigms and leads to deeper insights, therapies, and preventive strategies across a wide range of diseases,” she said. “We are deeply grateful for the support we receive from the NIH and other agencies. It enables us to carry out research that will strengthen health care and biomedical knowledge well into the future.”
The Blue Ridge Institute’s annual rankings show that UNC School of Medicine is fifth among public universities and 18th overall nationwide in total NIH funding for this period. The nonprofit organization provides these rankings based on federal data and highlights how such funding supports research in fields including genetics, cancer studies, biomedical engineering, and neurosciences.
Several departments within UNC School of Medicine have high placements in their respective fields according to these rankings. Six out of seven basic science departments are listed among top performers: Cell Biology and Physiology as well as Genetics both rank first among public institutions; Biochemistry and Biophysics ranks second; Microbiology and Immunology comes in second; Biomedical Engineering places fifth; Pharmacology holds sixth place among public schools.
In clinical disciplines, ten departments are recognized within the top 30 nationally. These include ENT (ear, nose, throat) ranked first among public universities; OB/GYN is second; Medicine eighth; Pediatrics eleventh; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation seventh; Psychiatry eighth; Radiology eighth; Surgery thirteenth; Pathology twelfth; Family Medicine nineteenth.
Other divisions at UNC also performed strongly: The Gillings School of Global Public Health ranks fifth overall in NIH funding—first among public universities—while Eshelman School of Pharmacy is placed second nationally behind University of California, San Francisco.
UNC Health operates as part of the University of North Carolina system with nearly 20 hospitals and over 900 clinics throughout North Carolina. Over the past five years it has provided more than $800 million in uncompensated charity care. The network’s hospitals have earned multiple awards recognizing quality care, patient safety, and positive patient experiences.
