In just one year, Rutgers School of Nursing has risen significantly in the ranking of National Institutes of Health funding compiled annually by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR). For 2020, School of Nursing was ranked 38th out of 78 schools—jumping from its 2019 rank of 53^rd among 72 schools listed. Aiming to provide one measure of research productivity, BRIMR bases its rankings on data from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT). Rankings for the prior year are released each February.   

“BRIMR is the recognized authority on reporting NIH funding levels at nursing schools and colleges across the nation,” said Linda Flynn, dean and professor. “We commend our faculty who are conducting NIH-supported research as well as those with proposals in the pipeline,” she said.   

The increased rankings are truly exciting, the dean noted. However, she explained, BRIMR ranking may not present a full picture of a school’s research productivity, as schools are credited for NIH funding only when their faculty are listed as principal investigators. It does not reflect faculty members’ collaborative work on NIH grants awarded to other colleges or universities or account for grants funded by other sources.  

Research is a team effort at the School of Nursing, explained Dean Flynn, with strong support coming from staff in areas such as finance and research services. “Important research and scholarship of all types is happening at the School of Nursing,” she said, “and our faculty, staff, and students are the ones making it happen. Their contributions toward advancing research at our school are sincerely appreciated.”