The University of Rochester Medical Center's Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding for orthopaedic research, according to data released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

The URMC Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) received $4.86 million in peer-reviewed NIH research grants in 2012, surpassing institutions such as Washington University, Johns Hopkins and Duke University. At a time when research dollars are becoming increasingly scarce, the CMSR upped its funding by 30 percent over the previous year.

This is a testament to the caliber of URMC's orthopaedic research endeavors and our stellar class of investigators, said Edward M. Schwarz, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research and the Burton Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedics. Our funding success is due in large part to a programmatic organizational design, a strong emphasis on collaboration across departments, and the diverse research interests of our faculty. It is clearly a case of the sum being greater than its parts.

Among the seven orthopaedic researchers that made the 2012 Blue Ridge list for top funding were Dr. Schwarz (4^th) and Dr. Hani Awad (67^th), both also have appointments in Biomedical Engineering.

At a major orthopaedics meeting this weekend, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center are showcasing studies that merge some of the most significant modern health problems - obesity and type 2 diabetes, infections, and joint degeneration, for example -- with the latest musculoskeletal science.

URMC presentations include a breakthrough in the development of a vaccine to prevent life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections following bone and joint surgery, and the identification of a drug that might act on bone stem cells to enhance fracture healing. All are taking place at the Orthopaedic Research Society 2013 annual meeting, in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 26 to 29.

The strong showing from the Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) continues a tradition of national leadership and innovation, said Edward M. Schwarz, Ph.D., the Burton Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at URMC. He also directs the CMSR, which is among the top funded orthopaedics research programs in the country.