Federal research grant funding at the University of Virginias School of Medicine rose almost 25 percent last year, bringing UVa to 35th nationwide.

UVa won a total of $126 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health in 2016, which doles out research funding to selected projects around the country. Thats a significant increase above the $101 million won in 2015.

Dr. David Wilkes, dean of the School of Medicine, reported the findings to the Board of Visitors on Thursday morning.

Wilkes said UVas efforts to invest in new technology and an aggressive faculty hiring push, pillars of a long-term plan passed in 2013, are beginning to pay off. UVa is attracting many applicants who want to bring their research to Charlottesville, Wilkes said.

The word is out that something is happening at UVa, Wilkes said. Its not just different, but something really extraordinary.

About 60 percent of the new funding was generated by existing faculty and staff, Wilkes said, while new recruits who brought their grant-funded projects with them accounted for about 40 percent.

Rector William H. Goodwin said he wants UVa to push harder and break into the top 20.

The first step, he said, is to gain the status of comprehensive cancer center from the National Cancer Institute. The institutions in this category must meet strict standards, but investigators from these comprehensive cancer centers win roughly three-quarters of the investigator-initiated grants from NCI.

I think youve done a great job but I think we ought to have some goals, Goodwin said. To get into the medical rankings, we have to face the fact that we need to be a comprehensive cancer center.

The UVa Cancer Center is trying to meet the goal of gaining NCIs top-tier designation by 2020.

The new partnership with Inova finalized in November will give UVa access to a wider pool of patients in Northern Virginia, which will improve UVas ability to run medical trials, Wilkes said.

But in the next few years, UVa could face a crunch in research space. That could be a pressing issue, Wilkes said, and the board will need to act soon.

Within the next 10 months, if we secure the next round of hires, space will become limited very quickly, he said.

Also on Thursday, the board voted to appoint third-year student Bryanna Miller, of Lewes, Delaware, as its student member for the next academic year.

Miller who currently serves as president of the Black Student Alliance and sits on Student Council was selected after interviews and discussion held in closed session.

The student member does not have a vote but acts as an ambassador between the board and UVas student body. The student member serves in an advisory role and is supposed to represent the interests of students during board discussions.

Current student member Phoebe Willis, a second-year student at the School of Law, has worked on bringing student voices into discussions on spending the annual payout from the $2.3 billion Strategic Investment Fund.

Connecting the board with the students they govern was one of Willis chief goals, and she said she hopes Miller continues her work.

I think that relationship has improved, but its not a perfect relationship, Willis said. Its an opportunity for Bryanna to come in and really make her own mark on it.

Millers term will begin June 1.

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UVa's medical school secured $25M more in federal grants last year ... - The Daily Progress