U. Health System receives fifth-largest NIH grant

The University of Pennsylvania Health System received the nation's fifth-largest funding grant from the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 1995, according to an NIH report issued last week. Johns Hopkins University received the largest amount of NIH funding in the United States with a total grant of $185.4 million. Penn's NIH funding for 1995 totaled $140.5 million, bringing the gap between Penn and Johns Hopkins to $44.8 million. Following Hopkins, schools receiving the highest funding are the University of California at San Francisco, Washington University and Yale University. Penn climbed 11.4 percent this year in NIH grants, moving up from the sixth rank last year, according to Richard Tannen, vice dean for research and research training in the School of Medicine. "To be ranked in the top five for NIH research funding is quite an accomplishment," said William Kelley, CEO of the Health System and dean of the Medical School. Tom Flavin, special projects officer for NIH, added that Penn has the highest annual grant growth rate for NIH funding among the top 10 institutions. Kelley said hospital patients will benefit the most from NIH grants since they have allowed for "cutting edge research at our medical center." "NIH funding helps us to provide our patients with the safest and most effective treatments available anywhere," he added. Penn did receive grants from a number of other medical organizations -- both federal and private -- this year, but even lumped together, they did not equal the money granted by NIH. "NIH is the primary grant institution in the world," said Flavin. "We fund over 50 percent of the grants universities receive." According to Tannen, NIH grants made up 70 to 75 percent of Penn's research funds. Flavin said that Penn received the highest funding in the nation for the areas of Biochemistry/Biophysics and Physiology. Penn also had the highest level of funding for clinical research in Radiology/Radiation Oncology, according to Flavin. Penn's NIH training grant level was first in the nation, he said. According to the NIH report, Penn also had the leading grant level of all Pennsylvania academic medical centers. Other area schools included in the report were the University of Pittsburgh, Thomas Jefferson University and Temple University.