Baltimore, MD – December 19, 2011 – The University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Surgery is continuing to secure research opportunities to advance the science of medicine and improve patient outcomes, as evidenced by the grants awarded to the Department by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Grants are competitively secured and reflect strongly on the qualitative excellence of the University of Maryland programs.
According to new data just released by the NIH, the Department of Surgery has the most NIH research funding of any department of surgery in the state of Maryland and in Washington, D.C. The new funding data is for fiscal year 2011, which began November 1, 2010 and ended October 31, 2011.
In a time when the NIH is being asked by the federal government to cut its budget per year, the Department of Surgery continues to obtain funding for biomedical research despite increasingly competitive NIH requirements. In 2005, the Department of Surgery was ranked 17th in the nation for NIH funding, and it is now a top 10 program.
"NIH research funding is an objective measure that we use to reflect the excellence and quality of our research program as we develop the latest treatment options for patients," says Stephen T. Bartlett, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We have built this department with the goal of becoming a top three NIH-funded research program. We instigate a culture of research within our clinical faculty from the moment they join our institution."
Recently, a five-year $23,634,445 grant was awarded to Richard N. Pierson, III, M.D., professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director, Surgical Care Service, VA Maryland Health Care System. The grant is to study coagulation control in lung and liver xenografts.
Other recent, notable NIH awards include basic science and preclinical research of:
"Surgery is a cure for many medical conditions, and it's our responsibility as a research-intensive institution to continue to seek new and better ways to treat and cure diseases and to foster the next generation of surgeons through excellent training and research," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The Department of Surgery is a destination center for researchers and patients who demand an institutional commitment to advancing medicine through science and discovery."
Strategic recruitment of faculty has also been a factor in the Department's growth and NIH funding level. The following clinical faculty members have joined the Department in the past two years with strong NIH portfolios: