UT Southwestern’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and two of its faculty members have been recognized in the 2022 edition of the prestigious Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) rankings, with the department and one researcher ranked inside the top 20 in the country for NIH funding.
Advancing eight spots from 2021, UTSW’s Orthopaedic Surgery team ranked 19th out of the top 48 departments in the nation, securing nearly $2.15 million in NIH research grants in 2022. UT Southwestern also placed 24th among 153 U.S. schools of medicine for the second consecutive year with nearly $272 million in NIH awards in 2022 – remaining in the top 30 for more than two decades.
Carol Wise, Ph.D., Professor in the UT Southwestern McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics, and Harry Kim, M.D., M.S., Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, earned individual rankings of 13th with more than $1.5 million and 66th with nearly $590,000, respectively.
Since 2006, the BRIMR has ranked institutions, departments, and investigators who received National Institutes of Health grant funding during the previous federal fiscal year. Widely viewed as an independent and objective measure of scientific vigor, BRIMR rankings are derived from year-end composites publicly released by the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT).
These accomplishments indicate the increasing value NIH places on top-tier orthopaedic research at institutions such as UT Southwestern.
Exceptional pediatric orthopaedics research with Scottish Rite
Dr. Wise leads research initiatives focused on mechanistic understanding of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and early onset disease types. She is Director of the Center for Pediatric Bone Biology and Translational Research at Scottish Rite for Children, one of the nation’s leading pediatric orthopaedic centers and one of UTSW’s pediatric partner hospitals. Dr. Wise is also a founding member and chair of the International Consortium for Spinal Genetics, Development, and Disease.
Dr. Kim’s research focuses on pediatric hip conditions, with an emphasis in Perthes disease - a condition in which blood flow to the femoral head is affected. He is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and Director of the Center for Excellence in Hip at Scottish Rite for Children.
In collaboration with UT Southwestern, Scottish Rite for Children has developed a deep reservoir of medical history, renowned expertise in treating pediatric orthopaedic disorders, and a robust patient-centered research program.
“We are driven to continue finding ways to improve care and answer complicated questions for children with orthopaedic conditions,” said Scottish Rite’s Chief of Staff and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Daniel J. Sucato, M.D., M.S. “These discoveries open new pathways into future treatment and prevention – ultimately benefiting children worldwide.” “Research has always been an integral part of our mission at UT Southwestern,” said Dane Wukich, M.D., Chair of UTSW’s Orthopaedic Surgery Department. “It’s gratifying to see our team continue to build on its success and earn the kind of NIH funding that helps us push for discoveries that will ultimately improve the lives of our patients.”
To learn more about UT Southwestern’s Orthopaedic Surgery research, clinical care, and training opportunities, please visit our department website.