College of Medicine nationally recognized for NIH-funded research in Blue Ridge rankings

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Three medical professionals in blue surgical gowns collaborate attentively during a procedure, conveying focus and teamwork in a bright operating room.

Twelve departments within The Ohio State University College of Medicine earned top-30 spots in the annual Blue Ridge rankings, a testament to the college’s research mission. Among medical schools, the College of Medicine moved up to No. 35, the highest ranking the college has ever achieved.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research compiles the annual analysis of institutions, departments and investigators based on the funding they receive from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. The Blue Ridge standings are widely regarded as a measure of scientific vitality and research standards among medical and health sciences schools. 

“These rankings are a testament to the innovative research that happens every day at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center,” says John J. Warner, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Executive Vice President at Ohio State. “That research yields high-impact discoveries that our teams use to provide exceptional care to our patients and outstanding clinical education to our learners, which is what sets us apart as our region’s only academic medical center.”

Amy Moore, MD, FACS, Interim Dean of the College of Medicine and Interim Vice President for Health Sciences at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, says the breadth of these rankings underscore Ohio State’s ability to compete for funding that advances biomedical research and helps accelerate the translation of new knowledge into clinical care.

“The rankings reflect a highly collaborative research environment here at Ohio State that advances innovation,” Dr. Moore says. “That collaboration helps turn research into clinical solutions that improve patient outcomes, strengthen care delivery and support how we continue to transform health care for the communities we serve.”

Two new departments broke into the top 30 rankings for federal fiscal year 2025: Radiology and Pathology. The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health made an impressive leap, rising to No. 11 from No. 28 with a 150% increase in funding due in part to the Analyses to Reveal Trajectories and Early Markers of Imminent Shifts in Suicidal States (ARTEMIS) study, led by principal investigator Jessica Turner, PhD. The Department of Physiology and Cell Biology rose four spots to No. 6 with a 20% increase in funding, including three R01 grants and one R35 over the previous fiscal year.

Here are some of the Ohio State College of Medicine highlights from the Blue Ridge rankings, based on data from federal fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30:    

  • No. 4 – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ($3.7 million) 
  • No. 6 – Physiology and Cell Biology ($16.7 million)  
  • No. 9 – Surgery ($17 million)  
  • No. 11 – Psychiatry and Behavioral Health ($34.3 million)
  • No. 12 – Emergency Medicine ($4.9 million)  
  • No. 16 – Neurosurgery ($4.7 million)  
  • No. 18 – Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery ($3.9 million) 
  • No. 21 – Microbial Infection and Immunity ($16 million)
  • No. 24 – Family and Community Medicine ($1.5 million)  
  • No. 26 – Neuroscience ($9.3 million) 
  • No. 27 – Radiology ($6.8 million)
  • No. 30 – Pathology ($9.5 million)

In addition, total funding received from the NIH increased to $209.6 million. This momentum matters beyond rankings. NIH-funded research supports a continuous pathway from investigation to real-world impact – enabling new approaches to disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment that enhance high-quality care at the bedside and help Ohio State advance health care transformation.

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