Columbia Graduate Programs In Top-10 For Research Productivity

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Columbia University Medical Center Graduate Research Programs Ranked in Top 10 for Scholarly Productivity

Biochemistry, Nutrition, Pharmacology & Physiology Doctoral Programs Receive Top Rankings in Chronicle of Higher Education Index

NEW YORK – (April 28, 2008) Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons and Mailman School of Public Health graduate program faculty in 14 research specialties – up from 10 last year – are ranked among the top 10 nationally for scholarly productivity, as compared to other academic medical centers nationwide. Biochemistry, nutrition, pharmacology and physiology received the highest marks.

Other academic specialties at Columbia that are also rated among the most productive in the country include: biophysics, biostatistics, cell biology, environmental health sciences, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology/ neuroscience, pathology and public health. The rankings are based on the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“It is gratifying to see that Columbia’s health science graduate programs have been judged objectively to be among the very best in the country for faculty research productivity,” said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences of Columbia University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. “The fact that we ranked among the top 10 in 14 specialty areas is a testament to the breadth and eminence of our exceptional faculty – many of whom are consistently at the forefront of their respective fields. I congratulate the faculty, students and staff affiliated with these programs.”

“The recognition of excellence in multiple graduate programs reflects the unique collaborative interactions at Columbia as well as research that is being carried out at the very highest caliber; and I am pleased to see these programs recognized for their contributions to basic and clinical scientific research,” said Robert S. Kass, Ph.D., vice dean for research and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The following chart details the respective CUMC specialties ranked among the top 10, as well as the affiliated CUMC department or program.

These ranked specialty areas represent a majority of the faculty of the CUMC coordinated doctoral program, which encompasses ten programs of study for the Ph.D. degree within the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Columbia University: biochemistry and molecular biophysics; biomedical informatics; cell biology and pathobiology; genetics and development; human nutrition; integrated program in cellular, molecular, and biophysical studies; microbiology; neurobiology and behavior; pharmacology, and; physiology and cellular biophysics.

The Index is an objective ranking of 164,843 faculty members with a doctoral degree in more than 100 specialty areas at 375 institutions, based on data from 2006/2007. The productivity of each institution's faculty members is judged on as many as three factors, depending on the most important variables in the given specialty: publications, which can include the number of books and journal articles published as well as citations of journal articles; federal-grant dollars received; and honors and awards. The rankings are compiled by Academic Analytics, LLC, a for-profit company.

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Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree. Among the most selective medical schools in the country, the school is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York State and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.