More than 250 grants and contracts brought in a record $47 million, up from $33 million in fiscal year 2008, said Richard L. Schreiner, M.D., chairman of the IU Department of Pediatrics on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.
The largest single source of funds was the federal National Institutes of Health, which awarded the department’s scientists $17.8 million in research grants for the year. As a result, the department ranked 9th among 90 medical school departments of pediatrics that received NIH funding in 2009.
Additional grants and contracts were received from other federal and state agencies, corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations.
IU School of Medicine physicians in the Department of Pediatrics provide care to the patients at Riley Hospital for Children and Methodist Hospital of Clarian Health, and Wishard Health Services.
“These achievements by the pediatric faculty in the past year are remarkable,” said Dr. Schreiner. “Their success in acquiring the record $47 million in external funding from all sources in a difficult granting environment and during dire economic times speak to their dedication, creativity and excellence.
“These awards account for a third of the department’s annual revenue and expenditures and have significant financial impact on the growth and success of its basic and clinical research programs, as well as on the continuing presence of clinical programs and services that make Riley one of the most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the nation,” Dr. Schreiner said.