Yale School of Medicine Ranks 4th in U.S. for NIH Funding

Yale School of Medicine (YSM) ranked fourth in the nation for total National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding in 2025, according to the latest report released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR).

“The YSM ranking is particularly gratifying given the uncertainty of the past year. NIH funding reflects on our investigators, who are making groundbreaking discoveries that advance our collective knowledge and improve health,” says Nancy J. Brown, MD, the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Yale School of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine. “Over the last year YSM has doubled down on support for our investigators. This return on investment in NIH funding speaks to the innovative, essential work that they’re doing.”

In the federal fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, 2025, YSM researchers garnered a total of $580,818,286 in NIH awards, as reported by BRIMR, a non-profit organization based in North Carolina that compiles medical school rankings in NIH funding each year.

“At YSM, our collaborative research environment brings together investigators across the basic and clinical sciences, from different fields, and at different career stages in a way that accelerates new thinking and innovative approaches,” says Brian Smith, MD, professor and chair of laboratory medicine and deputy dean for research (clinical and translational). “Supporting that kind of research improves health for our patients and for the community as a whole.”

In the new report, YSM ranked first in microbiology—a BRIMR category that includes YSM researchers in the departments of immunobiology and microbial pathogenesis—up from fourth last year. The Department of Comparative Medicine also ranked first compared to its peers across the country. The departments of emergency medicine and psychiatry were both second in the nation, while YSM ranked third in radiology, rising from eighth in 2024.

YSM’s research priorities include leading the development of data science, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics methods in biomedical and clinical research; advancing the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, addiction, neurodevelopmental disorders, and depression; catalyzing YSM’s expertise in the genetics of rare disorders to develop novel therapies and enhance understanding of the drivers of pathology; advancing the science of healthy aging; and implementing personalized medicine for complex diseases.

“Research at YSM is made possible by extremely dedicated faculty, staff, and students,” says Anthony Koleske, PhD, Ensign Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry and deputy dean for research (basic science). “This achievement demonstrates that our world-class researchers are fulfilling our mission to advance discoveries and innovation that benefit human health.”