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About the School

School of Medicine & Dentistry / About the School

Quick Facts

  • NIH funding to the School of Medicine and Dentistry during the federal fiscal year ending August 2, 2019 was $247 million.
  • 262 Principle Investigators associated with NIH grants and contracts.
  • The medical school admits 96 MD and 8 MD/PhD students annually who learn in the Double Helix Curriculum which was the first in the country to integrate clinical and basic science all four years and continues to offer early meaningful clinical experience. Our focus on self-directed, life-long learning incorporates the Biopsychosocial Model which began in Rochester. With opportunities in research, community service and international health, students can pursue personal interests within the curriculum.
  • There is a total of 865 trainees in ACGME accredited programs.
  • Nearly 500 graduate students and 200 postdoctoral appointees are in training to become the basic, translational and clinical investigators of the future.
  • There are 1973 total full-time faculty at the school.

A History of Innovation

Numerous vaccines and medical innovations that have saved and improved the lives of millions; notable innovations include:

  • A Rochester team developed the first known vaccine against cancer, the product of more than two decades of research at the University. It protects millions of women against cervical cancer. This is one of the most successful commercialization initiatives in the University's history.
  • The Hib vaccine, developed by University Periatric researchers, the late David Smith, '58M (MD), Porter Anderson, Ph.D., and Richard Insel, M.D., virtually eradicated a leading cause of meningitis in preschoolers. A later innovation, using the same technology, yielded Prevnar, a vaccine that guards against pneumococcal bacteria.
  • University Researchers were among the first to administer calf ung surfactant to premature infants, proving that the procedure was safe and effective in improving survival rates. Surfactants are now routinely used around the world.
  • Rochester doctors revolutionized the treatment of heart disease worldwide by showing that an implantable cardiac defibrillator can significantly reduce death rates.

Points of Pride

Center for RNA Biology : From Genome to Therapeutics. The UR is home to one of the strongest groups of RNA biologists in the nation, who are conducting interdisciplinary research into the function, structure, and processing of RNA. The focus of the center includes studies on RNA molecules as both therapeutic targets and therapeutic molecules; recent advances include the successful reversal of the symptoms of myotonic muscular dystrophy in mice by eliminating a buildup of toxic RNA in muscle cells.

University of Rochester Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (UR CTSI). The UR was one of the first 12 institutions in the nation to establish an NIH-funded CTSI, and is a founding member of the national CTSA consortium. The Institute is building the foundation to assist researchers at the UR and across Upstate New York to produce innovative technology and methods that more efficiently and more quickly advance treatments to patients and communities.

Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation. The HSCCI is a unique collaboration between UR, IBM and New York State, which seeks to establish UR as a world-class center for the advancement of health-related research supported by high-performance computational (HPC) resources. The center is home to IBM's next generation supercomputer – the Blue Gene/Q – and is one of the 5 most powerful university-based supercomputing sites in the nation.

Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Research. Our Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation is ranked No. 1 in the nation in NIH funding for orthopedic research, and our Center for Musculoskeletal Research is conducting cutting-edge research to prevent life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) infections following bone and joint surgery, and to promote bone repair using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Respiratory Pathogens Research Center (RPRC). The UR is home to the only NIH-funded respiratory pathogens research center in the U.S. The center is focused on the conduct of research activities to understand the etiology and impact of viral respiratory pathogens and to develop and evaluate strategies for their control, treatment and prevention. It is comprised of a highly interdisciplinary team of clinical and translational investigators with vast experience in studies of host-pathogen interactions, immunity, disease, and interventions relevant to respiratory infections.

Upstate Stem Cell cGMP Facility (USCGF). The goal of the USCGF is to accelerate first-in-human clinical trials of new stem cell therapies, by enabling scientists at UR and across Upstate New York to produce human stem cells suitable for use in humans. It is a key component of the UR Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute , which encompasses more than 40 faculty from 15 different departments.