Increasing the funding we receive from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is vital to our continued excellence in life-saving research and innovation.
I’m pleased to share the latest rankings for the KU medical, nursing, and allied health schools for federal fiscal year 2008.
The School of Medicine has once again improved its rank, rising to 65th in the nation among all schools and improving from 39th to 36th among public schools. In addition, with one exception, all of the school's basic science departments are in the top 25 for public medical schools, and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology is ranked in the top 10 at number five.
Considering the KU School of Medicine was ranked 81st in the country in 2005, this is a tremendous achievement.
In 2006, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation released Time to Get it Right, with the goal for us to become a top-50 institution by the year 2015 and for our basic science programs to be in the top 25. With the momentum we are building, I'm confident we can meet this goal.
I'm also pleased to announce the School of Nursing is ranked 31st among 82 schools of nursing that receive NIH funding. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, there are 762 schools of nursing with four-year or higher programs, so this ranking clearly puts KU in an elite category among nursing schools.
Finally, to round out our prestigious rankings, the School of Allied Health is ranked 12th out of 50 public and private schools of allied health in the nation that receive NIH funding. Among public institutions, the school is ranked 9th.
I am very proud of all our faculty members and their work to secure funding for innovative research, especially during these challenging economic times.
Thanks again for all you do, and keep up the good work.
Carol Smith, RN, PhD, professor in the School of Nursing, took pictures of (left) Allison Taylor and Kasey Bowden, SON students, during the Student Research Forum. See results of the showcase.
Community
Bikers representing the Ride for World Health will be at KU Medical Center from noon - 2:30 p.m. on May 4 in Rieke Auditorium to raise awareness and money. Read more about the cause.
The Kansas City Heart Walk is on May 30, and KU Hospital and KUMC teams have already raised $13,000. If you'd like to participate, please contact Hallie Calloway at 8-0606.
Education
The School of Medicine has earned a Top Ten Achievement Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians. The award recognizes schools that graduate the highest percentage, over a three-year period, of students who choose family medicine.
The Psychology Internship Program has received accreditation for the full seven years. Congratulations, and thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this happen.
The Diagnostic Molecular Scientist Program in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences has also been re-accredited for a five-year period. Currently, there are only six approved DMS programs nationwide. Congratulations on this prestigious honor.
Congratulations to Lisa VanHoose, PT, clinical instructor and PhD student in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Services, for winning the American Physical Therapy Association 2009 Minority Faculty Development Scholarship. Read more.
Other Items of Interest
Everyone is invited to attend the Hats off to Chancellor Hemenway event on May 2, at 3 p.m. at the Lied Center in Lawrence to celebrate his accomplishments over the last 14 years. More details.
Chancellor Hemenway will host his third budget forum to talk about the new economic forecast on Friday, April 24. The forum will be broadcast via ITV at noon in the Lied Auditorium in Kansas City and in the Wichita Room in Wichita. More information.
The Color Atlas of Family Medicine, authored in part by Heidi Chumley, MD, senior associate dean for medical education, received an excellent review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read the review and learn more about the book.
Kudos
Karen Rayford, associate director of the post-baccalaureate program for the Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity, received the Emerging Leadership Award from the National Association for Medical Minority Educators. Congratulations, Karen.
Ryan Spaulding, PhD, director for the Center for TeleMedicine and TeleHealth, has been invited to speak and moderate a session on the future of telehealth for an upcoming NIH national conference. Congratulations, Ryan.
Research
Mark Cohen, MD, FACS, vice chairman for research in the Department of Surgery and director of the Surgical Skills and Simulation Laboratory, has received a 2009 Komen Career Catalyst grant for $450,000 to study nanocarrier-based lymphatic chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer. Read more.
The first Postdoc Research Day will take place from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 in 4016 and 4024 Varnes Center. Read more.