Tampa, FL (Sept. 1, 2005) --  

The USF Department of Pediatrics has earned a coveted spot in academic medicine -- a top-10 research ranking from the National Institutes of Health.

USF's pediatrics faculty were awarded more than $17.8 million from NIH in 2004 for research ranging from the genetics of immunity and adolescent HIV to sharing information about rare diseases. The department ranked ninth out of 92 pediatrics departments in medical schools across the country -- up from a 51st place ranking in 2003.

USF's funding was on a par with that of Pediatric Departments at Vanderbilt University, Washington University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"It's a terrific achievement that shows our faculty are passionate about the importance of research and translating findings into care that benefits children and their families," said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for USF Health.

"This raises the bar for us, and we clearly intend to use the ranking as leverage to build upon and broaden our pediatric research," said Robert M. Nelson, M.D, professor and chair of Pediatrics "In addition to a base of excellent senior researchers, we have several young clinical researchers who are promising contenders for NIH funding."

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, professor and chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Pediatrics, was responsible for a major share of the increase, attracting more than $15 million in NIH research grants in 2004. He directs the USF Pediatrics Epidemiology Center.

Dr. Krischer is principal investigator for the development of two major data and technology coordinating centers for NIH. One center supports a national consortium identifying environmental triggers of Type I Diabetes, a form of the disease primarily affecting children and adolescents. The other supports the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, a research cooperative addressing the challenges inherent in diagnosing and treating rare diseases such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and hereditary idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Also attracting substantial NIH funding in 2004 were Gary Litman, PhD, Distinguished University Professor and the Andrew Hines Professor of Pediatrics, and Patricia Emmanuel, MD, associate professor and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Litman directs the molecular genetics research program at the USF Children's Research Institute on the All Children's Hospital campus. His internationally recognized research using fish – a good, smaller-scale model for human immunity – has led to the discovery of many novel genes that offer insight into how the immune system develops in children. Dr. Litman and his colleagues are working to tease out details about the evolutionary transition from innate to adaptive immunity with powerful new biotechnology techniques.

Dr. Emmanuel is principal investigator for the Tampa Bay Adolescent Medicine Trials Unit, one of 15 NIH-funded clinical sites across the country providing comprehensive services to HIV-infected adolescents. Working with university and community partners, the Department of Pediatrics cares for HIV-infected children and adolescents in 10 counties across central and southwest Florida. Researchers identify and educate youth at high risk for HIV in an effort to prevent AIDS, offer new treatments to HIV-infected adolescents, and evaluate barriers to clinical trial enrollment and retention.

Dr. Nelson said the strong showing in NIH's pediatric research ranking would help USF in its national recruitment of top-level physician scientists. The Department is working with All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg to fill the Rothman Chair in Child Development and the Walmart/Sam's Club Chair in Pediatric Oncology.