UNMC College of Pharmacy Reaches Research Funding Milestone

The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy continues to climb the rankings of U.S. pharmacy-research powerhouses, cracking the national top 10 for the first time in annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for fiscal year 2017. The ranking is compiled by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

UNMC finished 10th among U.S. pharmacy schools in NIH research dollars with more than $10.5 million in funding. With only 40 full-time faculty, the college is one of the nation’s smallest among the 138 accredited U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy.

The college continues to punch above its weight class as one of the nation’s best pound-for-pound pharmacy-research institutions. When adjusted to dollars-per-FTE-faculty, UNMC’s College of Pharmacy is No. 3 in the U.S., with an average of $263,943 per faculty member. This is the 10th consecutive year UNMC is in the top 10, based upon FTE.

The UNMC College of Pharmacy has seen a surge of momentum in recent years in NIH funding, finishing No. 23 in 2008 and subsequently rising to No. 18, No. 12, No. 11 and now No. 10 nationally, according to the AACP.

Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., oversaw this period of research growth as the College of Pharmacy’s dean. Dr. Fletcher took over leadership of the college in 2007, and this past 2017-18 academic year was his last as dean, though he will remain on faculty. The search for a new pharmacy dean is underway, and Dr. Fletcher will continue to serve as dean through September 30.