Three basic science departments in Temple’s School of Medicine—neuroscience, physiology and pharmacology—have been ranked nationally among the top 25 for the amount of research funding they were awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2013.

According to Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which obtained and compiled the data from NIH’s Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool, Temple’s Department of Neuroscience ranked 18th nationally and second in Pennsylvania. Physiology ranked 20th nationally and first in Pennsylvania. Pharmacology ranked 24th nationally—one ahead of Johns Hopkins—and third in the state.

“We should all be very proud of these numbers,” said School of Medicine Executive Dean Arthur M. Feldman. “They are impressive indicators of the depth and breadth of our biomedical research enterprise, as well as the success of the strategic focus we have made in our research programs.”

Feldman—who also is chief academic officer of Temple University Health System—said that two years ago, the School of Medicine made a decision to focus its research activities on four specific areas: cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary, metabolic disorders and neuroscience. He noted that nearly half of the Medical School’s cardiovascular physicians and scientists are housed in the Department of Physiology, while Pharmacology also includes a large number of cardiovascular faculty and some neuroscience faculty.

The data “suggest we are on the right track and confirm our statewide and national leadership role in several of our research priority areas,” Feldman said.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research is a North Carolina-based, nonprofit research institute that explores the interfaces of fundamental biological science, clinical science and clinical care with a special emphasis on targeted cancer therapy. It has been ranking NIH funding to medical schools since 2006.