College of Pharmacy ranked No. 4 nationwide in research funding

UIC’s College of Pharmacy was awarded nearly $18.5 million in research funding for fiscal year 2014.

The UIC College of Pharmacy ranked fourth nationally in the amount of grants and contracts awarded by the National Institutes of Health and other federal and non-federal agencies for fiscal year 2014, according to figures released by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

UIC was awarded nearly $18.5 million for fiscal year 2014, trailing only the University of California at San Francisco, University of Kansas and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The University of Colorado rounded out the top five.

“We are extremely pleased to achieve this level of funding and to be ranked so highly among our peers in this regard,” said pharmacy dean Jerry Bauman. “It’s a testament to our exceptional faculty who continue to be funded for their work in this difficult and highly competitive environment, and a testament to the quality and impact of their work.”

UIC received more than $10.8 million in funding from 14 NIH institutes, among them the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Nearly $5.4 million came from non-federal grants (ranking UIC No. 2 in that category) and $2.2 million from other federal agencies.

An additional $1.3 million came from private grants, although the AACP does not recognize these in its figures.

Awards received in fiscal year 2014 include:

• a grant to conduct research on how to improve pain control in adults with sickle cell disease

• a diabetes management program for African Americans and Latinos

• a study to develop a new treatment for sleep-disordered breathing such as sleep apnea.

Bauman cited the work of Joanna Burdette, associate dean for research and graduate education, as a key factor in the college’s success.

“Research and discovery are parts of our legacy and the fabric as a faculty and college,” Bauman said. “It’s one of a number of features that distinguished us from the other 132 colleges of pharmacy.”