UCSF was the fourth largest recipient of National Institutes of Health research dollars in 2004, receiving a total of $438.8 million from all awards in the nationally competitive process, according to rankings newly released by NIH.

The ranking covers research grants, awards and contracts.

The UCSF School of Medicine moved up to third in total NIH awards among all medical schools -- up from fourth last year. UCSF's School of Dentistry, School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy each ranked first nationally for 2004, as they have in recent years.

The School of Medicine received awards totaling $379.9 million. The UCSF School of Dentistry received $19.8 million; the School of Nursing received $14.6 million; and the School of Pharmacy received a total of $23.5 million.

"UCSF's research has once again been deemed among the best in the country by the most rigorous of judges -- our scientific peers throughout the nation," said J. Michael Bishop, MD, chancellor of UCSF. "This strong endorsement provides further evidence of the excellence that is the hallmark of UCSF, a source of great pride for all of us."

NIH also ranks research funding for departments within schools of medicine. NIH reports that five UCSF departments and programs are ranked first in total funding for 2004:

• anesthesiology ($8.6 million)
  
• internal medicine ($161.7 million)
  
• neurology ($23.3 million)
  
• neurosurgery ($8.3 million)
  
• social sciences ($577,500)

The UCSF obstetrics and gynecology department was ranked second in total awards nationally ($13.8 million).

The top five recipients of NIH funding among all institutions for the 2004 fiscal year are the following:

• Johns Hopkins University ($599.2 million)
• University of Washington ($473.4 million)
• University of Pennsylvania ($464.1 million)
  
• UCSF ($438.8 million)
  
• Science Applications International Corporation, a research and engineering company ($403.2 million)

The top five dentistry school recipients of NIH awards for the 2004 fiscal year are:

• UCSF ($19.8 million)
  
• University of Michigan ($13.3 million)
  
• University of Maryland, Baltimore ($10.4 million)
  
• University of Florida ($9.6 million)
  
• University of Washington ($9.0 million)

The top five recipients among nursing schools for 2004 are:

• UCSF ($14.6 million)
  
• University of Washington ($11.4 million)
• University of Illinois, Chicago ($8.7 million)
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ($8.1 million)
  
• University of Pennsylvania ($6.2 million)

Among schools of pharmacy, the top five recipients of NIH awards for 2004 are:

• UCSF ($23.5 million)
  
• University of Washington ($20.5 million)
• University of Kansas ($12.8 million)
  
• University of Utah ($11.9 million)
  
• University of Montana ($10.2 million)

The top five medical school recipients of NIH awards for the 2004 fiscal year are:

• Johns Hopkins University ($449.5 million)
• University of Pennsylvania($393.6 million)
  
• UCSF ($379.9 million)
  
• Washington University ($371.7 million)
  
• University of Washington ($307.8 million)