Researcher in lab

Research

The Department of Medicine is a national leader in biomedical research, consistently among the top 25 departments of medicine nationwide in NIH research funding, outpacing the growth of NIH support two-to-one over the past five years.

Department of Medicine faculty are leaders in the scientific community, with a passion for innovation and discovery to improve human health and change the ways in which we deliver care. This passion is translated to research making major contributions to the advancement of biomedical knowledge.

Department of Medicine Research Activities

Faculty research activities are broad and deep in clinical, basic, translational and team science and interdisciplinary collaborations. Advances in the lab are brought directly to the clinic, improving overall patient care and outcomes. The Department of Medicine's Divisions:

  • Have diverse and vibrant externally founded research programs
  • Provide research opportunities to trainees
  • Support the next generation of key innovators in shaping the future of health care through our robust Physician Scientist Training Program
  • Advance a pipeline of diverse faculty through our DREAM program​ for medical students

Transformational Research Funding

Researchers from our department are helping to lead all five Transformational Research Funding ​initiatives launched in 2016 by the CU School of Medicine: 

Research Collaborations

Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute - The Department of Medicine is a very active participant in CCTSI, which provides the infrastructure to build research teams and speed the development of new treatments to improve human health.

SPARK Program – Department of Medicine faculty are part of the SPARK Program’s cohorts, which focuses on technologies addressing unmet clinical needs to bridge the “translational gap” between the lab bench and the patient, accelerating academic discoveries from the lab to patient care.

Endowed Chairs – The Department of Medicine has 44 endowed chairs and a federally-designated Cancer Center enabling us to pursue new understanding and treatment of diseases that are afflicting millions of Americans.

Department of Medicine Research Funding and Support

The Department of Medicine's Research Office administers funding programs and support initiatives to promote the success of our researchers:

Research by the Numbers (Last Fiscal Year)

  • $114 million in Research Support
  • 176 PhD Investigators
  • 2,555 Peer-reviewed Articles
  • 529 Active Clinical Trials
  • 171 Industry-sponsored Studies
  • 418 Clinical Trials Actively Enrolling
  • 36 Invention Disclosures
  • 7 Provisionals Filed
  • 9 Patents Issued

In the last 10 years:

  • VA Support: 170% increase
  • NIH Support: 60% increase
  • National NIH Growth: 30% increase