MIR Ranks Second in NIH Radiology Funding

A researcher in a white coat holds a pipette under a lab fume hood.

Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) was named the second-highest earner in National Institutes of Health (NIH) radiology funding by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. MIR, the academic radiology department at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, raised over $41 million in 2021. 

Robert J. Gropler, MD, professor of radiology and senior vice chair and division director of radiological sciences, emphasized the importance of adaptability among research faculty. “This success reflects our investigators’ creativity to produce forward-leaning scientific discovery, our staff’s hard work to conduct the necessary experiments, our administration’s dedication to ensure timely and complete grant applications and our departmental leadership for its strategic guidance,” he said. 

Securing funding is a crucial piece of advancing a research enterprise and the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly challenged even the most established research programs to adapt at breakneck speeds. Nonetheless, MIR researchers have navigated obstacles such as temporary lab closures and reduced staff numbers, continuing their work under extraordinary circumstances. “The entire research enterprise adapted to these dynamic challenges and remains focused on producing innovative science,” Gropler said.

Over the past few years, MIR has been aggressive in identifying and recruiting top talent from outside and within the department. “We’re now seeing the fruits of those efforts,” Gropler said.

Blue Ridge Institute also identified several MIR investigators in the top 100 for NIH funding: Daniel S. Marcus, PhD; Kooresh I. Shoghi, PhD; Cyrus A. Raji, MD, PhD; Joel S. Perlmutter, MD; Joseph P. Culver, PhD; Robert J. Gropler, MD; Suresh Vedantham, MD; Andrei G. Vlassenko, MD, PhD; and Tammie L.S. Benzinger, MD, PhD.