According to two prominent sources, the Department of Family Medicine at the U-M has risen significantly in its national rankings.

First, the department is now ranked 3rd in the nation (tied with two other universities) in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of primary care disciplines, up from 7th last year. This recognition of the excellence of the Department’s clinical and academic programs positions it to take a leadership role in establishing family medicine as the foundation for any discussions about national health care reform.

Secondly, in January 2009, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U-M Medical School announced that the department’s research funding had risen by a third, and is now ranked 6th in the nation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, up from 11th in FY 2007, with total NIH funding of $1,669,483.

“This is spectacular. Our clinical excellence and innovation, our educational quality and leadership, and our outstanding research programs, all speak to our commitment to the principles of family medicine and demonstrate the department’s importance to the U-M Health System and the U.S. health care system,” said Dr. Schwenk.

In addition, the U-M Medical School’s ranking among all medical schools for its primary care quality moved up from 45th in 2007 to 17th place in 2008 and is now ranked 12th (in part due to the restructuring of the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking methodology, according to the U-M Department of Public Relations).

And, for the first time in U-M Medical School history, annual NIH grant funding awarded to the school’s clinical researchers and biomedical scientists exceeded $300 million. U-M placed 2nd in FY 2008 among medical schools affiliated with public universities, and moved from 11th place in FY 2007 to 7th in FY 2008 for NIH grants awarded to all U.S. medical schools.

Overall, “These rankings reflect tremendous dedication from the faculty and support staff responsible for research…. In the discipline of family medicine, we are one of the few departments that has made the investment to continue to bring new insights to the care of patients through federally-supported research,” noted Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for research programs.