The Duke Department of Surgery ranked first in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among U.S. medical school surgery departments for the fifth straight year in 2025, according to a report compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
Underscoring Duke Surgery's standing as a national leader in surgical science, the department received $47.2 million in NIH funding.
”This funding enables us to advance innovative research that seeks to answer some of the world's most complex biomedical problems, helping to save lives and improve quality of life for countless people," said Duke Surgery Chair Peter J. Allen, MD. He added, "We're grateful for our team of phenomenal investigators, surgeon-scientists, research administrators, and staff for their contributions to this accomplishment. I would also like to recognize the leadership of our former Chair, Allan Kirk, MD, PhD, and Vice Chair for Research Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH whose tireless commitment to the academic mission helped enable our success."
Six Duke Surgery researchers appeared in the top 15 highest-funded principal investigators among surgery departments, including three in the top five.
#2. Georgia D. Tomaras, PhD
Professor in Surgery and Chief
Division of Surgical Sciences
#3. Priyamvada Acharya, PhD
Professor in Surgery
Division of Surgical Sciences
#4. Wilton B. Williams, PhD
Associate Professor in Surgery
Division of Surgical Sciences
#10. Stuart J. Knechtle, MD
Professor of Surgery
Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery
#13. Kevin O. Saunders, PhD
Professor in Surgery
Division of Surgical Sciences
#15: Aravind Asokan, PhD
Professor in Surgery
Division of Surgical Sciences
The Duke University School of Medicine ranked ninth in total NIH funding across all disciplines, with $514.5 million received in 2025, a jump from its #13 rank the previous year.
Learn more about the rankings of other Duke School of Medicine departments on the School of Medicine website.