UTHealth Houston ranks among nation’s best in NIH funding

UTHealth Houston again ranks among the nation’s leading institutions for National Institutes of Health research funding, according to the latest annual analysis by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

The rankings measure NIH funding awarded during the previous federal fiscal year and assess performance across institutions, academic departments, and individual investigators.

Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston

Cizik School of Nursing continued its ascent in the rankings of nursing schools that receive funding from the NIH, earning the No. 8 spot nationally with almost $12 million in 2025.

The school maintained its No. 1 ranking among Texas nursing schools for the third year in a row, and funding increased from $6,438,187 in 2024 to $11,959,508 in 2025.

“The growth in federal funding for nursing science at Cizik School of Nursing may seem meteoric, but the momentum has been building for years as our faculty painstakingly laid the groundwork through pilot projects with private funding,” said Ansley Stanfill, PhD, RN, associate dean for Research and The Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair at the nursing school. “When I joined Cizik School of Nursing in August 2025, I was honored to succeed Dr. Constance Johnson, who helped prepare our Department of Research for today’s success. I am fortunate to lead this incredible team as their scientific discoveries improve lives for patients and families.”

Grants in 2025 that boosted Cizik School of Nursing’s NIH funding include a five-year, $6.5 million award to Jennifer E.S. Beauchamp, PhD, RN, associate professor of research and the Nancy B. Willerson Distinguished Professor in Nursing at the nursing school, and a $6 million, four-year continuation of an award to Jennifer Kawi, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, professor of research and the Lee and Joe Jamail Distinguished Professor in the School of Nursing.

Read more about the school’s research projects on its website.

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health ranked No. 1 in Texas, No. 7 among publicly funded graduate schools of public health, and 15th in NIH funding nationally. With nearly $31 million in NIH funding in 2025, the school's unique positioning supports population health research throughout Texas.

“NIH funding for public health research is intensely competitive. To be ranked as seventh in the U.S. among public institutions and number one in Texas is a testament to our faculty’s hard work and commitment to advancing evidence-based public health solutions,” said Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, dean, M. David Low Chair in Public Health, and Kozmetsky Family Chair in Human Genetics at the School of Public Health.

With a long-standing history in Texas, the school’s scope of research and reach of impact directly correlate to a top-21 percentile placement. The school has improved its ranking by one spot since last year and remains steadfast in its approach to securing funding and advancing public health.

“The scale to which we achieve this ranking affirms the strength of our research enterprise and our determination to advance science that improves population health,” said Boerwinkle.

UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry

The School of Dentistry maintained its position among the nation’s leading dental schools in research funding, ranking No. 2 in Texas and No. 18 nationally. According to the Blue Ridge Institute’s annual rankings, the school reported more than $5.2 million in NIH research grants funded through September 2025.

“This year’s Blue Ridge ranking reflects the enduring momentum, depth, and stability of our research enterprise,” said John Valenza, DDS, dean and The William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Professor in the Dental Sciences at the School of Dentistry. “The School of Dentistry’s continued placement among the top 20 nationally and among the top in Texas underscores the sustained achievements of our faculty, staff, students, and residents, whose work drives advances that benefit both oral and overall health. We remain focused on expanding the scope and impact of our research for the benefit of the communities we serve.”

Read more about the school’s research projects on its website.

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

For the second consecutive year, McGovern Medical School increased its NIH funding, remaining in the top 35% of U.S. medical schools. With a total of $124 million in NIH funding in 2025, the school ranked No. 51 among all U.S. medical schools.

Four of the school’s medical departments placed in the top 20 of 2025 NIH funding, with the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery coming in at No. 7; Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at No. 13; Neurology at No. 17; and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at No. 20.

“These results highlight how our faculty is not only making meaningful contributions across the full research spectrum, from the bench to the bedside, but also advancing our own mission of conducting innovative research and providing the best in patient care,” said LaTanya J. Love, MD, dean of McGovern Medical School and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences.

The national ranking matched the medical school’s ranking from 2024 and ties for the highest place since 2002, when it was ranked No. 50 in NIH funding.