The Department of Medicine has active and robust research programs taking place across all 13 of our divisions as well as in conjunction with our research institutes. There are nearly 300 researchers working in more than 70 labs in the Department of Medicine. Our faculty is responsible for more than $121 million in NIH grants and we are ranked 12th nationwide in funding, according to Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. We also host multiple NIH training grants that support research training at graduate and post graduate levels. The success of the department in research is driven in large part from its commitment to combined missions of research, patient care, and medical education.
Patient-focused basic and translational research has been a central part of the Department of Medicine’s mission to serve our community from the very beginning of the hospital and medical school. Today, we are building on this tradition of excellence and inquiry as we incorporate researchers from Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside into our expanded health system. With access to a larger population of patients for clinical trials, our researchers now have even more opportunities to turn their lab-based discoveries into clinical realities. In the era of a global pandemic, bringing the latest research advances to the public took on an even greater urgency, and novel antibody studies were deployed rapidly to address the most pressing health challenges. A collaborative and dynamic environment provides many opportunities for our investigator faculty to conduct population-based research and orient their basic research to solve key health problems faced in the clinic.
We have a strong track record of attracting and training NIH-funded research investigators who lead scientific thought in their fields. Our department is committed to the professional development and support of junior research faculty by providing career mentorship, a structured career development plans, access to biostatistical support, and assistance in preparing and submitting grant proposals. We are proud of our strong track record of mentoring junior faculty who successfully obtain K awards, and transitioning them into independent investigators.
Our clinical trials office supports investigators conducting industry-sponsored and federally-funded clinical trials. The office oversees more than 100 clinical studies at any one time and provides support for the entire process from budget negotiation, to regulatory compliance, to implementation and reporting.
Here in the Department of Medicine, our goal is to provide the optimal environment for innovation in basic, clinical and translational research, where our trainees, fellows and junior faculty researchers and seasoned investigators make discoveries that will help define the future of medicine. We welcome you to our website and encourage you to explore the many research projects and outstanding research groups in our department.
BUILDING ON OUR SUCCESS
Today, the faculty of the Department of Medicine have had unprecedented success in obtaining funding for their research. Research support from the National Institutes of Health to the Department of Medicine has been consistently near the top of all US medical schools and has been on an upward trajectory in the last five years in terms of total funding and ranking. A significant fraction of our increases in NIH funding have been driven by increases in investigator initiated R01 grants. In the last five years, the Department has seen almost a doubling in the number of R01s with an increase in total dollars of more than 200%. The department has also been consistently well supported by larger program project (P) grants and contract (U) awards. NIH supported research training grants (T awards) are have also helped to build an environment where the next generation of biomedical and physician scientists are well supported in their research training. Our research scientists in all research divisions of medicine are supported by the NIH. Their research encompasses a full spectrum of investigation and discovery ranging from clinical, translational and basic science research.
While Mount Sinai investigators are among the highest ranking in NIH funding per investigator, in the Department of Medicine we are also particularly committed to cultivating a large number of investigative junior faculty including many clinician scientists. Our investment in physician scientists at the very beginning of their research careers fosters innovations and research into novel areas of disease focused research to address emerging health priorities and explore new therapeutic approaches. We have well over 15 junior faculty who are supported by NIH career (K) awards and who are additionally supported by the department. An active research mentorship program has helped to support a large fraction of the early career investigators to launch their independent research programs in the Department.
The Department of Medicine is the largest department in the School of Medicine and is also a home for many faculty involved with diverse research institutes that bring together faculty across research disciplines and departments to address common research themes. Through multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental collaboration faculty in the Department of Medicine are making important breakthroughs that will change the future of medicine.