I am delighted to report that the newly released 2023 NIH Blue Ridge Rankings show that Duke’s Orthopaedic Surgery Department is ranked No. 1 in the United States for NIH funding for an orthopaedics department for the second consecutive year. Our department had a five percent increase in funding, and we have a record number of faculty holding NIH funding, accounting for almost eight percent of all funded principal investigators (PIs) appointed in an orthopaedics department in the country.
Please join me in congratulating the following members of our faculty who are PIs on NIH grants: Ben Alman, MD, Gurpreet Baht, PhD, Louis DeFrate, ScD, Ming-Feng Hsueh, PhD, Steven George, PhD, Christine Goertz, PhD, Adam Goode, PhD, Kimberly Hreha, PhD, Trevor Lentz, PhD, Amy McNulty, PhD, Laura Pietrosimone PhD, Corey Simon, PhD, Shyni Varghese, PhD, and Colleen Wu, PhD, and the members of our department who have funding as co-applicants or collaborators: Oke Anakwenze, MD, Michael Bolognesi, MD, Paris Brown, Todd Cade, PhD, Joe Chakkalakal, PhD, Chad Cook, PhD, Emily D’Agostino, PhD, Melissa Erickson, MD, Will Eward, MD, Matt Hilton, PhD, Maggie Horn, PhD, Christopher Klifto, MD, Tally Lassiter, MD, Vianna Martinez, Romeo-Paolo Perfecto, Amy Pastva, PhD, Yu Ru Shih, PhD, Thorsten Seyler, MD, Samuel Wellman, MD, Jocelyn Wittstein, MD, and Xing Zhang, PhD.
We are undertaking research across various disciplines, from fundamental biology to methods that translate better care to large populations. Our work focuses on improving the health of the populations with problems we treat. NIH funding is only a surrogate measure of our research enterprise, as much of our work is funded by other sources, including philanthropy, other federal agencies, foundations, or industry.
The magnitude of our funding growth and the breadth of our work demonstrates the commitment and diversity of our research toward improving the health of people with musculoskeletal, physical therapy, and occupational therapy needs.
This is a tremendous achievement. It is a true testimonial to everyone who worked hard to get us here and made this happen as a team. I’m very proud of our accomplishments.
All the best,
Ben
Benjamin A. Alman, MD
James Urbaniak Professor and Chair
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery – Duke University