College of Medicine’s innovative discoveries earn high marks in annual Blue Ridge rankings

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Doctors helping a patient

Eleven 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 Ohio State College of Medicine moved up to the No. 37 spot, the highest ranking it has ever received. 

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 highlight the life-changing biomedical discoveries and foundational science happening in our College of Medicine’s laboratories and clinics,” says Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, dean of the Ohio State College of Medicine. “Our faculty, researchers, staff and learners collaborate closely, driving breakthroughs and saving lives through team science. Together, we are uniquely positioned to lead the way in medical innovation.” 

Among the college’s departments that were included in the top 30, Surgery rose to No. 9 from No. 11, while Family and Community Medicine rose three spots to No. 21. Neurosurgery made a double-digit leap from No. 30 to No. 16.  

Here are some of the Ohio State highlights from the Blue Ridge rankings, based on data from federal fiscal year 2024 (FY 24), which ended Sept. 30:    

  • No. 7 – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ($3.3 million) 
  • No. 9 – Surgery ($15.6 million)   
  • No. 10 – Physiology & Cell Biology ($13.9 million)  
  • No. 11 – Microbiology Microbial Infection and Immunity. ($18.1 million)  
  • No. 15 – Emergency Medicine ($13.9 million)  
  • No. 16 – Neurosurgery ($4.9 million)  
  • No. 19 Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery ($3.5 million) 
  • No. 21 – Family and Community Medicine ($1.5 million)  
  • No. 28 – Neuroscience ($9.5 million) 
  • No. 28 – Psychiatry and Behavioral Health ($13.7 million)
  • No. 30 – Ophthalmology ($3.6 million)  

This strong showing comes on the heels of the expansion of convergent research and funding at the College of Medicine. In FY 24, the college grew research funding more than 19% to reach over $477 million, bolstered by multimillion-dollar grants to study traumatic brain injury (TBI), gene therapy and many other breakthrough research projects. 

As executive vice president for Research, Innovation and Knowledge at The Ohio State University and chief scientific officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Peter Mohler, PhD, plays a key role in expanding innovative research, stimulating entrepreneurship and building strategic partnerships. 

“As our research portfolio continues to grow, scientists in the College of Medicine are pushing boundaries across multiple disciplines,” Dr. Mohler says. “We are even more pleased with the growing collaboration with partners and stakeholders to expand our research efforts and amplify their impacts.”  

Innovation like this plays a huge role in the region’s health care innovation and is part of what makes Ohio State such a force in the global medical community. 

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