Riley Research Retains Top 10 Ranking Nationwide

Driven by donor support, the pediatric research program attached to Riley Children’s Health, has once again distinguished itself as one of the best in the country.

The Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, which serves as the research partner of Riley Children’s, secured more than $38.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health during the federal fiscal year that ended in September 2023 – ranking 9^th among all U.S. pediatric programs. NIH grants are the gold standard in the research community and are widely considered a barometer of a program’s impact and success. The Riley-affiliated program is also the only nationally ranked pediatric research program in Indiana and the top-ranked program in the Midwest.

Under the leadership of Dr. Wade Clapp, physician-in-chief at Riley Children’s and chair of the IU School of Medicine Chair of Pediatrics, the program is conducting truly awe-inspiring research that will help more children thrive. The team is:

Using artificial intelligence to understand how cancer commandeers otherwise healthy cells, providing new pathways to halt these processes
Developing new drugs to more precisely treat severe asthma so no child must die from the disease in the future
Studying what goes awry in utero that leads to congenital heart disease, the most commonly encountered birth defect
Learning how to “fix” broken genes to cure dangerous bleeding disorders
Partnering with the criminal justice system to prevent substance use among teenagers – potentially preventing a bleak future for at-risk kids

“Too many pediatric conditions are still poorly understood or don’t have meaningful treatments. No family should be told there’s nothing more we can do for their child,” said Dr. Clapp. “Research is our promise to keep searching for answers – to do better for kids. We are honored to be ranked in the top 10 nationally because it means we’re keeping that promise and moving closer each day to new treatments and solutions. We couldn’t do this without Riley Children’s Foundation and our donors.”

If you are interested in helping sustain and grow the Riley research program, there are many ways you can support:

Make a one-time gift
Become a monthly donor
Include Riley in your estate planning
Establish a research fund through an endowed gift