Birmingham, Alabama — The $12.5 million given to the UAB School of Dentistry by the primary federal sponsor of dental research is tops in the nation for 2012.
Riding a huge $67 million, multi-year grant awarded last year, the dentistry school went from No. 15 in funding to No. 1 in money received by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the dental arm of the National Institutes of Health, according to a UAB news release.
"These rankings illustrate UAB's and the school's leadership position in dental research," said Michael Reddy, dean of the school, in the release. "We have some of the top minds in dental research in the United States and the world at UAB, and this is a testament to our hard work and dedication to the nation's oral health."
The highest rank UAB School of Dentistry had achieved previously was No. 4, Reddy said. In 2011, the school received $4.25 million. The jump in funding rides mainly on one UAB-led national project.
UAB announced last year it was receiving from NIDCR a 7-year, $67 million grant for the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, which consolidates the institute's three regional research networks into a nationally coordinated effort to research best practices in dental care. The effort received $9.9 million in 2012.
The top 5 funded dental schools by NIDCR in 2012 were:
1) University of Alabama at Birmingham -- $12,456,763
2) Forsyth Institute -- $9,841,103
3) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor -- $9,761,343
4) University of California San Francisco -- $8,520,201
5) University of North Carolina Chapel Hill -- $8352,978
