Rationale and Objectives
This study aimed to characterize recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for diagnostic radiology departments at US medical schools.
Materials and Methods
This retrospective study did not use private identifiable information and thus did not constitute human subjects research. The public NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditure and Results system was used to extract information regarding 887 NIH awards in 2015 to departments of “Radiation-Diagnostic/Oncology.” Internet searches were conducted to identify each primary investigator (PI)’s university web page, which was used to identify the PI’s departmental affiliation, gender, degree, and academic rank. A total of 649 awards to diagnostic radiology departments, based on these web searches, were included; awards to radiation oncology departments were excluded. Characteristics were summarized descriptively.
Results
A total of 61 unique institutions received awards. The top five funded institutions represented 33.6% of all funding. The most common institutes administering these awards were the National Cancer Institute (29.0%) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (21.6%). Women received 15.9% of awards and 13.3% of funding, with average funding per award of $353,512 compared to $434,572 for men. PhDs received 77.7% of all awards, with average funding per award of $457,413 compared to $505,516 for MDs. Full professors received 51.2% of awards (average funding per award of $532,668), compared to assistant professors who received 18.4% of awards ($260,177). Average funding was $499,859 for multiple-PI awards vs. $397,932 for single-PI awards. Common spending categories included “neurosciences,” “cancer,” “prevention,” and “aging.”
Conclusions
NIH funding for diagnostic radiology departments has largely been awarded to senior-ranking male PhD investigators, commonly at large major academic medical centers. Initiatives are warranted to address such disparities and promote greater diversity in NIH funding among diagnostic radiology investigators.
Introduction
Grant funding is a key element of conducting successful radiology research, serving as an important resource for allowing more comprehensive or sophisticated investigations that otherwise may not be possible. For example, such funding can support the long-term development, testing, and dissemination of innovative new imaging technologies, whether relating to diagnosis or image-guided intervention . By far, the primary source of grant funding in the United States is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which provided approximately $32.3 billion to support biomedical research in 2015 . Despite this large sum, receiving NIH funding is highly competitive, with only a small fraction of new NIH grant applications receiving funding , and many interested applicants unable to successfully secure such funding for their projects .
The amount of NIH funding to radiology departments has grown substantially since the creation of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in 2000 . Further understanding of the characteristics of such NIH funding for diagnostic radiology would be useful in a number of respects. A knowledge of what are currently the most common awarding agencies, as well as the most commonly funded grant mechanisms and research topics, could help guide departments and investigators in framing applications with a higher likelihood of success . At the same time, insights into relatively underfunded areas could help highlight important deficiencies to be addressed, whether through targeted initiatives by the NIH itself or by other stakeholders . Moreover, awareness of disparities in the distribution of grants among departments and investigators could help inform efforts to promote greater diversity and inclusion in radiology research. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize recent NIH funding for departments of diagnostic radiology at US medical schools.
Materials and Methods
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Results
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Table 1
Summary of NIH Institutes and Centers with Awards to Departments of Diagnostic Radiology in Fiscal Year 2015
Institute or Center Number of Awards % of All Awards \* Total Funding ($) % of All Funding NCI 188 29.0% 81,128,735 29.7% NIBIB 140 21.6% 58,326,709 21.4% NINDS 80 12.3% 30,254,138 11.1% NHLBI 71 10.9% 31,086,097 11.4% NIAMS 33 5.1% 12,289,376 4.5% NIMH 33 5.1% 12,613,480 4.6% NIA 20 3.1% 6,951,938 2.5% NIDDK 19 2.9% 8,079,158 3.0% OD 13 2.0% 10,909,911 4.0% NICHD 10 1.5% 4,112,335 1.5% NIDA 8 1.2% 2,706,510 1.0% NIAAA 7 1.1% 2,942,548 1.1% NEI 6 0.9% 2,127,384 0.8% NIEHS 5 0.8% 925,465 0.3% NLM 4 0.6% 1,021,760 0.4% NIAID 3 0.5% 1,375,570 0.5% NCATS 2 0.3% 3,661,261 1.3% NIDCR 2 0.3% 613,398 0.2% NCCIH 1 0.2% 522,793 0.2% NIDCD 1 0.2% 333,444 0.1% NIGMS 1 0.2% 56,081 0.0% NIMHD 1 0.2% 414,740 0.2% NINR 1 0.2% 380,725 0.1%
NCATS, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NCCIH, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health; NCI, National Cancer Institute; NEI, National Eye Institute; NHLBI, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; NIA, National Institute on Aging; NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; NIAID, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; NIAMS, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; NIBIB, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; NICHD, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; NIDA, National Institute on Drug Abuse; NIDCD, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; NIDCR, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; NIDDK, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; NIEHS, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; NIGMS, National Institute of General Medical Sciences; NIH, National Institutes of Health; NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health; NIMHD, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; NINDS, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NINR, National Institute of Nursing Research; NLM, National Library of Medicine; OD, Office of the Director.
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Table 2
Summary of NIH Study Sections Reviewing Awards to Departments of Diagnostic Radiology in Fiscal Year 2015
Study Section Number of Awards \* % of All Awards Total Funding ($) % of All Funding Special Emphasis Panel (total from 151 separate panels) 318 49.0% 146,137,077 53.6% Medical Imaging Study Section (MEDI) 68 10.5% 26,091,042 9.6% Biomedical Imaging Technology B Study Section (BMIT-B) 51 7.9% 21,219,027 7.8% Clinical Molecular Imaging and Probe Development (CMIP) 38 5.9% 12,810,969 4.7% Biomedical Imaging Technology A Study Section (BMIT-A) 16 2.5% 6,518,525 2.4% Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration Study Section (CNN) 11 1.7% 3,623,559 1.3% Neuroscience and Ophthalmic Imaging Technologies Study Section (NOIT) 9 1.4% 3,319,617 1.2% Neural Basis of Psychopathology, Addictions and Sleep Disorders Study Section (NPAS) 8 1.2% 3,902,199 1.4% Subcommittee I - Transition to Independence (NCI-I) 8 1.2% 1,096,129 0.4% Radiation Therapeutics and Biology Study Section (RTB) 7 1.1% 2,056,192 0.8% Biodata Management and Analysis Study Section (BDMA) 6 0.9% 2,652,319 1.0% Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences Study Section (CICS) 6 0.9% 4,087,206 1.5% Nanotechnology Study Section (NANO) 6 0.9% 2,081,802 0.8% Acute Neural Injury and Epilepsy Study Section (ANIE) 5 0.8% 1,511,470 0.6% Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Special Grants Review Committee (AMS) 5 0.8% 511,171 0.2% Biomedical Imaging Technology Study Section (BMIT) 5 0.8% 2,102,000 0.8% Developmental Therapeutics Study Section (DT) 5 0.8% 1,227,889 0.5% Gene and Drug Delivery Systems Study Section (GDD) 5 0.8% 1,549,628 0.6% Developmental Brain Disorders Study Section (DBD) 4 0.6% 1,378,117 0.5% Neuroscience of Aging Review Committee (NIA-N) 4 0.6% 577,357 0.2% Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration Study Section (SBSR) 4 0.6% 1,877,574 0.7% Aging Systems and Geriatrics Study Section (ASG) 3 0.5% 1,020,638 0.4% Cancer Biomarkers Study Section (CBSS) 3 0.5% 1,250,163 0.5% Subcommittee F - Institutional Training and Education (NCI-F) 3 0.5% 676,638 0.2% Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study Section (APDA) 2 0.3% 889,015 0.3% Biomedical Computing and Health Informatics Study Section (BCHI) 2 0.3% 788,911 0.3% Biomedical Library and Informatics Review Committee (BLR) 2 0.3% 485,962 0.2% Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section (CNBT) 2 0.3% 405,608 0.1% Enabling Bioanalytical and Imaging Technologies Study Section (EBIT) 2 0.3% 399,367 0.1% Epidemiology of Cancer Study Section (EPIC) 2 0.3% 662,638 0.2% Health Services Organization and Delivery Study Section (HSOD) 2 0.3% 2,137,985 0.8% Instrumentation and Systems Development Study Section (ISD) 2 0.3% 1,087,892 0.4% NeuroAIDS and other End-Organ Diseases Study Section (NAED) 2 0.3% 388,946 0.1% Neurological, Aging and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology (NAME) 2 0.3% 418,182 0.2% Neuroscience Review Subcommittee (AA-4) 2 0.3% 233,489 0.1% Subcommittee A - Cancer Centers (NCI-A) 2 0.3% 6,296,066 2.3% Subcommittee G - Education (NCI-G) 2 0.3% 687,215 0.3% Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System Study Section (AICS) 1 0.2% 343,650 0.1% Behavioral Medicine, Interventions and Outcomes Study Section (BMIO) 1 0.2% 522,793 0.2% Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences Study Section (BTSS) 1 0.2% 620,687 0.2% Biomaterials and Biointerfaces Study Section (BMBI) 1 0.2% 136,400 0.0% Cardiac Contractility, Hypertrophy, and Failure Study Section (CCHF) 1 0.2% 262,667 0.1% Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia Study Section (CMBG) 1 0.2% 354,375 0.1% Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section (CPDD) 1 0.2% 236,506 0.1% Clinical and Integrative Diabetes and Obesity Study Section (CIDO) 1 0.2% 281,645 0.1% Cognition and Perception Study Section (CP) 1 0.2% 311,259 0.1% Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases B Subcommittee (DDK-B) 1 0.2% 185,487 0.1% Diseases and Pathophysiology of the Visual System Study Section (DPVS) 1 0.2% 257,250 0.1% Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology Study Section (DMP) 1 0.2% 326,209 0.1% Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases D Subcommittee (DDK-D) 1 0.2% 164,052 0.1% Mechanisms of Sensory, Perceptual, and Cognitive Processes Study Section (SPC) 1 0.2% 384,610 0.1% Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section (MRS) 1 0.2% 298,453 0.1% Neurological Sciences and Disorders A (NSD-A) 1 0.2% 5,000 0.0% Neurological Sciences and Disorders C (NSD-C) 1 0.2% 1,246,679 0.5% NST-1 Subcommittee (NST-1) 1 0.2% 151,214 0.1% Pathophysiological Basis of Mental Disorders and Addictions Study Section (PMDA) 1 0.2% 337,978 0.1% Risk, Prevention and Intervention for Addictions Study Section (RPIA) 1 0.2% 749,137 0.3% Somatosensory and Chemosensory Systems Study Section (SCS) 1 0.2% 341,250 0.1% Subcommittee J - Career Development (NCI-J) 1 0.2% 146,019 0.1% Tumor Microenvironment Study Section (TME) 1 0.2% 431,856 0.2% Tumor Progression and Metastasis Study Section (TPM) 1 0.2% 235,451 0.1% Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action Study Section (XNDA) 1 0.2% 343,345 0.1%
NIH, National Institutes of Health.
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Table 3
Summary of Mechanism of NIH Awards to Departments of Diagnostic Radiology in Fiscal Year 2015
Mechanism Number of Awards \* % of All Awards Total Funding ($) % of All Funding R01 361 55.6% 162,416,174 59.5% R21 91 14.0% 19,554,820 7.2% U01 27 4.2% 14,760,398 5.4% T32 20 3.1% 3,345,211 1.2% R03 17 2.6% 1,227,286 0.4% K25 12 1.8% 1,496,395 0.5% R24 11 1.7% 3,449,042 1.3% S10 11 1.7% 10,509,911 3.9% K01 10 1.5% 1,373,748 0.5% R00 10 1.5% 2,394,300 0.9% P41 9 1.4% 8,919,725 3.3% R25 7 1.1% 1,010,745 0.4% K08 5 0.8% 642,549 0.2% P30 5 0.8% 9,408,123 3.4% R13 5 0.8% 51,000 0.0% F31 4 0.6% 115,115 0.0% K23 4 0.6% 646,564 0.2% K99 4 0.6% 427,676 0.2% U54 4 0.6% 11,639,199 4.3% F30 3 0.5% 121,991 0.0% K24 3 0.5% 486,854 0.2% P01 3 0.5% 4,923,854 1.8% R56 3 0.5% 1,614,843 0.6% DP5 2 0.3% 400,000 0.1% F32 2 0.3% 111,760 0.0% P50 2 0.3% 2,644,941 1.0% R33 2 0.3% 1,241,039 0.5% UH3 2 0.3% 1,924,128 0.7% K22 1 0.2% 193,860 0.1% KL2 1 0.2% 429,178 0.2% R37 1 0.2% 385,114 0.1% R90 1 0.2% 275,325 0.1% T35 1 0.2% 109,836 0.0% T90 1 0.2% 138,299 0.1% U18 1 0.2% 247,734 0.1% U24 1 0.2% 653,458 0.2% U34 1 0.2% 311,278 0.1% UL1 1 0.2% 3,232,083 1.2%
NIH, National Institutes of Health.
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Table 4
Summary of Characteristics Relating to the PI of NIH Awards to Departments of Diagnostic Radiology in Fiscal Year 2015
Number of Awards % of All Awards Total Funding ($) $ of All Funding Average Award ($) Gender Female 102 15.9% 36,058,235 13.3% 353,512 Male 541 84.1% 235,103,497 86.7% 434,572 Degree Trainee 16 2.5% 1,558,738 0.6% 97,421 MD 59 9.1% 29,825,448 11.0% 505,516 PhD 503 77.7% 209,038,741 76.9% 415,584 MD/PhD 69 10.7% 31,561,494 11.6% 457,413 Rank Trainee 16 2.5% 1,558,738 0.6% 97,421 Assistant professor 118 18.4% 30,700,933 11.4% 260,177 Associate professor 180 28.0% 62,885,724 23.4% 349,365 Full professor 329 51.2% 175,247,720 65.2% 532,668 Number of PIs or project leaders One 506 78.0% 201,353,707 73.8% 397,932 Multiple 143 22.0% 71,479,849 26.2% 499,859
NIH, National Institutes of Health; PI, primary investigator.
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Table 5
Most Common NIH Spending Categories of NIH Awards to Departments of Diagnostic Radiology in Fiscal Year 2015
Spending Category Number of Grants \* Spending Category Number of Grants \* Diagnostic Radiology 487 Alzheimer’s Disease including Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias 26 Bioengineering 422 Orphan Drug 24 Clinical Research 346 Stroke 24 Neurosciences 230 Urologic Diseases 24 Cancer 226 Atherosclerosis 23 Brain Disorders 165 Arthritis 22 Rare Diseases 94 Autoimmune Disease 21 Prevention 93 Prostate Cancer 21 Aging 91 Stem Cell Research 20 Biotechnology 87 Substance Abuse 20 Breast Cancer 70 Transplantation 18 Cardiovascular 67 Diabetes 17 Neurodegenerative 66 Regenerative Medicine 17 Pediatric 53 Injury (total) Accidents/Adverse Effects 16 Heart Disease 48 Liver Cancer 16 Nanotechnology 46 Nutrition 16 Digestive Diseases 44 Osteoarthritis 16 Networking and Information Technology R&D 44 Rehabilitation 15 Behavioral and Social Science 42 Multiple Sclerosis 13 Mental Health 40 Alcoholism, Alcohol Use and Health 12 Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities 36 Drug Abuse (NIDA only) 12 Lung 35 Hematology 12 Brain Cancer 31 Health Services 11 Genetics 31 Injury - Trauma - (Head and Spine) 11 Acquired Cognitive Impairment 30 Stem Cell Research - Nonembryonic - Non-Human 11 Basic Behavioral and Social Science 30 Human Genome 10 Heart Disease - Coronary Heart Disease 30 Lung Cancer 10 Liver Disease 30 Osteoporosis 10 Dementia 29 Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period 10 Alzheimer’s Disease 26
NIDA, National Institute on Drug Abuse; NIH, National Institutes of Health.
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Discussion
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