Record NIH Funding
Indiana University School of Medicine had another record-setting year of National Institutes of Health funding. The school was awarded more than $127 million in fiscal year 2021. The Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Molecular Genetics ranked eighth in the nation, and IU School of Medicine ranked fourth in funding from the National Institute on Aging.
Faculty named AAAS Fellows
Four IU School of Medicine faculty members were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
- Wade Clapp, MD, chair, Department of Pediatrics
- Harikrishna Nakshatri, PhD, Marian J. Morrison Professor of Breast Cancer Research
- Mark Kelley, PhD, Betty and Earl Herr Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research
- Michael Weiss, MD, PhD, MBA, chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Match Day Highlights
After two years of virtual celebrations, Match Day took over the IUPUI ballroom on March 18, 2022, as 321 IU School of Medicine students matched with residency programs throughout the United States. Not only did they finish medical school, but they did it during a pandemic, demonstrating tremendous tenacity.
From the IU School of Medicine Class of 2022, 94 future physicians entered residency programs affiliated with IU School of Medicine or IU Health, along with more than 200 additional graduates from other medical schools across the country. These programs include 30 different specialties, including internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, surgery, OB-GYN, emergency medicine and neurology.
New Department Leaders
IU School of Medicine welcomed five new department chairs in 2022.
- David Aronoff, MD, Internal Medicine
- Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS, Surgery
- Leslie Hulvershorn, MD, Psychiatry
- David Rosmarin, MD, Dermatology
- Michael Feldman, MD, PhD, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Breast Cancer Research Funding
The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research made a $12.5 million gift commitment to IU School of Medicine, bringing the foundation’s total commitments in breast cancer research funding to $50 million. The new gift will support research to harness immunotherapy for breast cancer treatment. The foundation’s ongoing support led to the 2018 creation of the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, where more than 30 investigators collaborate on breast cancer discoveries.
White Coat Ceremony
The Class of 2024 transitioned to the clinical phase of their training, commemorated by a White Coat Ceremony on April 18, 2022. This was the first year the ceremony took place at the end of the second year rather than the first semester of medical school. The change was made to emphasize this important transition to patient care.
Class of 2022 Graduation
Graduation took place in person for the first time since 2019. On May 13, 2022, 455 doctorate and master level degrees were awarded, including 351 MD degrees. In addition, 147 associate and Bachelor of Science degrees were earned by graduates of the IU School of Medicine Health Professions Program.
Engineering in Medicine
Indiana University and Purdue University announced a new vision for the Indianapolis campus that would split IUPUI into separate academic organizations. IU owns and operates the campus, but certain programs grant Purdue degrees. IU School of Medicine and Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering will continue collaborating as partners in the new Engineering in Medicine Institute. The goal of these research collaborations is to develop novel technologies and approaches that will lead to innovative approaches and engineered systems for improved patient care in five targeted areas: cardiovascular health, cancer, musculoskeletal health, otolaryngology and pediatrics.
Advancing Alzheimer’s Research
IU School of Medicine will receive $48.8 million over the next five years from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the largest branch for Alzheimer’s research within the NIH, with renewed funding for the Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (MODEL-AD) initiative. Established in 2016, MODEL-AD is a consortium of experts at IU School of Medicine, Jackson Laboratory, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Sage Bionetworks, which generates and validates new animal models for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and performs rigorous preclinical testing of potential therapeutics.
PRIME grant enhances care for underserved populations
The Primary Care Reaffirmation for Indiana Medical Education Program (PRIME) was awarded an additional $5.4 million grant from the United States Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and has now received a total of $17.6 million. PRIME aims to improve classroom and clinical learning experiences for medical students with a focus on community health and care for underserved populations.
Strategic Priorities
IU School of Medicine announced Strategic Priorities for 2023-2025:
- Foster the vitality and engagement of our people
- Maximize learner success
- Accelerate discovery and clinical translation
- Improve health and wellness for citizens of Indiana
All members of the IU School of Medicine community are asked to review the priorities and outcomes and complete a survey to share feedback.
Commitment to Diversity
IU School of Medicine is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice efforts. Over 1,000 people attended the 2022 LGBTQ+ Health Care Conference. More than 1,000 faculty and staff completed training for Mitigating Unconscious Bias in Decision-Making, and IU School of Medicine created an upstander intervention workshop to address disrespectful and discriminatory behavior. Learn more about diversity programs.
Medical Education and Research Building
IU School of Medicine broke ground on a new $230 million medical education and research building on Oct. 19, 2022. At 11 stories and more than 326,000 gross square feet in size, the facility west of Senate Avenue and south of the IU Neurosciences Research Center on 16th Street will address growing instructional and research needs at the school. It is expected to be completed in 2024.
“This building will be a place where generations of future healers will begin their journey in medicine,” said Jay Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, dean of IU School of Medicine and IU’s executive vice president for clinical affairs. “It’s going to be a place where researchers are going to make innovations, they’re going to prevent disease, alleviate suffering and save lives, not just here in Indiana, but across the nation and around the world.”
For more 2022 highlights, visit the IU School of Medicine newsroom and IU School of Medicine blogs hub.