News Releases

University of Maryland School of Nursing Rises to Top 10 in National Institutes of Health Rankings for Nursing Schools

December 18, 2013

Rankings are based on research dollars NIH awards to the School.

Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) continues its ascension toward the top of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rankings. UMSON now ranks ninth among nursing schools receiving grant funding from the NIH, up from 11th in 2012.

Rankings are based on the amount of research dollars awarded by the NIH to each school. Each grant submission is reviewed by NIH experts for its scientific merit and program relevance. In 2013, UMSON faculty members attracted nearly $4.5 million in NIH grants for research in areas such as chronic pain, impulsivity and drug abuse, interventions for cognitively impaired seniors, neuromuscular disorders, sleep, Web-based interventions, and bone health.

“It is incredible that we have steadily climbed in the NIH ranking and funding at a time when overall national spending has declined. I commend our entire faculty for making us a powerhouse among nursing schools,” said UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “These funds play a tremendous role in helping innovative scientists launch their research careers and support the work of our nurse scientists.”  

Research at UMSON produces high-impact findings that have the potential to significantly improve the health and quality of life for patients and their families. UMSON’s faculty performs research using the University’s two appointed Organized Research Centers −

 Health Outcomes and Biology and Behavior Across the Lifespan − through leveraged cross-disciplinary research collaboration.

“This achievement is shared by all of our esteemed nurse scientists,” said Susan G. Dorsey, PhD ‘01, MS ’98, RN, FAAN, associate professor and associate dean for research at UMSON. “Research funding from the NIH is increasingly competitive, so this is quite an accomplishment for our School.”

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools, and is ranked eleventh nationally. Enrolling more than 1,700 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.