© Kay Taylor/UVA Health Systems Doctor David Wilkes, dean of University of Virginia Health System's School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia.
CHARLOTTESVILLE – University of Virginia's School of Medicine received the largest amount of funding in the school's history from the National Institutes of Health, according to an announcement from UVA Health Systems.
In fiscal year 2019, NIH provided $146.3 million in funding.
The funding backs an ambitious research effort to pioneer new treatments and cures while helping doctors better understand and prevent disease.
“This record NIH funding speaks to the breadth and importance of the research taking place at the School of Medicine,” said Doctor David Wilkes, the school’s dean. “NIH funding is incredibly competitive, now more than ever. But our accomplished faculty are doing really exciting work — work with concrete benefits for patients. We are grateful to see it receive such tremendous support.”
That work spans the spectrum of human ailments.
UVA research includes:
Artificial pancreas
In one notable milestone, the Food and Drug Administration just approved an artificial pancreas developed at UVA to free people with type 1 diabetes from the painful ritual of daily needlesticks.
Researchers and clinicians at UVA work hand-in-hand to take scientific discoveries from the lab bench to the bedside, and they then use what they see while providing cutting-edge care to drive the next wave of innovation.
“We have worked diligently to foster a culture of collaboration at the School of Medicine, and that has created a really exciting environment,” said Wilkes. “I’ve never seen our faculty more engaged and more eager to do truly great work.”
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That is reflected in the significant increase in NIH funding in recent years, per the announcement. In fiscal 2000, the School of Medicine received $82.3 million from the NIH; in 2015, $101.2 million. In fiscal 2018, that figure had climbed to $120.9 million. Then, in a single year, it jumped $25.4 million to the record $146.3 million.
“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” Wilkes said. “But we hope this is only the beginning.”
To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to Making of Medicine at Makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.
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This article originally appeared on The News Leader: UVA School of Medicine receives record funding from National Institutes of Health