The Michigan State University College of Nursing has jumped eight spots in this year’s Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.

The nonprofit is the authoritative ranking on National Institutes of Health funding among major health-related colleges. In the nursing rankings, MSU landed at No. 35, up from No. 43 in 2024. The college’s ranking has jumped 34 spots since 2020 and is the second-highest NIH-funded college of nursing in the state.

“The Blue Ridge rankings set the bar for excellence in national research, and with the support of the Nursing Research Office team, our scholars have led the college from a ranking of 69 in 2020 to a high of 35 this year,” said Susan Buchholz, the college’s associate dean for research. “This change points to our remarkable scholars' meaningful and essential research and the support and encouragement they have found at the MSU College of Nursing and within our university.”

The college recorded $2.7 million in NIH funding during the one-year judging window, which concluded at the end of September 2024.

“The college’s vision is being recognized as a premier nursing college and a transformative force in improving health disparities and social outcomes in Michigan and beyond,” said Dean Leigh Small. “One way we do this is through our research, which has grown exponentially over the past few years. I am proud of the outstanding work our scholars and senior scientists have done and look forward to seeing the ways in which their work will continue to improve the lives of those in our communities.”

Several researchers are currently engaged in major NIH-funded initiatives. Jiying Ling is working on a multi-year project to address behavioral well-being in youth. Lorraine Robbins is in the fourth year of her NIH-funded effort to fight childhood obesity, and Angela Chen is conducting pilot testing of a game-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination in families with unvaccinated children. Dr. Ashlee Vance is working on a nursing program for advancing training in health and social determinants and Rebecca Lehto is offering support for bereaved friend and family caregivers of cancer patients.

Learn more about the College of Nursing’s research areas.

This story was originally published on the College of Nursing website.