The University of Utah School of Medicine's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine is the nation's No. 3 family medicine department in grants from National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The U's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine received $3.4 million in NIH grants in fiscal year 2003, the third highest total among peer departments nationwide. The department was ranked No. 9 in NIH grants in fiscal year 2002. The department's high ranking reflects its commitment to research, according to Michael K. Magill, M.D., professor and chair of family and preventive medicine. NIH rankings are considered an important indicator of an academic program's research productivity.
"It also reflects the diversity of work in this multidisciplinary department, from large epidemiologic investigations to clinically oriented research," Magill said.
The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine was established in 1970 to address the need for primary care practitioners, especially in rural Utah. The department has grown to include divisions ranging from family medicine and occupational and environmental health medicine to an AIDS Education and Training Center and Behavioral Sciences Section.
Family and Preventive Medicine also is home to the nation's fifth-ranked physician assistant program and sixth-best community health program, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of best graduate programs. These represent the two highest ranked graduate programs in Utah.
Along with its research grants, the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine also receives substantial teaching and non-NIH research grants, according to Magill.