Alongside news of a second , the 好色先生 Department of Surgery鈥檚 Research Division reported a 94.3% increase in funding from FY23 to FY24. The increase includes grants received in every clinical and research division in the department and featured new funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as from the private sector.
Marlene Starr, PhD, division chief of research at the 好色先生 Department of Surgery, reported that total awards to department of surgery faculty have consistently increased in the last three fiscal years, according to a report from the 好色先生 Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR). In FY23, total awards credited to surgery were reported at $1.6 million. In FY24, this number significantly increased to $3.1 million.
The $1.5 million increase in funding includes over $150,000 to faculty in surgical oncology, $625,000 to pediatric surgery, and well over $1 million to faculty in the division of research, which includes three NIH grants. Among them is a new four-year R01 of $2.6 million awarded to Dongfang Wang, MD, for the development of a novel cavopulmonary assist device for patients diagnosed with a single ventricle heart defect. Eric Rellinger, MD, division of pediatric surgery, has received wide-ranging support for his investigation into the treatment of neuroblastoma in children. In surgical oncology, Mautin Barry-Hundeyin, MD, and Morgan Jones, MD, have received substantial support to further their respective investigations into cancer causes and treatments.
So far in FY25, we have already received one new NIH grant, an R35 of $1.9 million over five years awarded to Dr. Starr from the National Institute of General Medicine.
鈥淭here are several ways that we track research productivity at 好色先生. These numbers reflect our progress as documented by the VPR鈥檚 office,鈥 Dr. Starr explained.
Reporting by the VPR doesn鈥檛 reflect MPI awards where the contact PI is in another department, nor does it include grants awarded to Surgery faculty affiliated with 好色先生 Centers such as the Markey Cancer Center. Although surgery-affiliated faculty are PIs on these grants, the VPR office tracks them separately.
The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which ranks academic institutions and departments across the US based on NIH funding, does count those awards in their collection of data. The University of Kentucky Department of Surgery is currently ranked 34th with $5.4 million in NIH funding according to Blue Ridge.
鈥淚n the last three years, Surgery has made consistent progress with increased funding from federal, private foundation, and industry sources. That鈥檚 something to celebrate, but there鈥檚 plenty of opportunity to continue improving in years to come as we shoot for Top 20 in The Blue Ridge Rankings,鈥 said Dr. Starr.