Of the $19.297 billion the National Institutes of Health awarded to 145 medical schools in fiscal 2025, about 3.43% was given to radiation or diagnostic oncology departments, according to data published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania received the most NIH funding earmarked for radiation or diagnostic oncology departments at $30.9 million, representing 4.27% of the $724,156,263 the university received.
Detroit-based Wayne State University dedicated the largest proportion of its medical research funding to radiation or diagnostic oncology departments at 21.14%, a larger proportion than any other medical school in fiscal 2025. Of the nearly $61.7 million Wayne State received, about $13 million went to radiation or diagnostic oncology.
Research funding has been under scrutiny in recent years, with calls from the Trump administration to cap federal reimbursement of indirect research costs at 15%. A federal appeals court officially blocked the cap in January, asserting it would violate both congressional appropriations law and the NIH’s own grant regulations.
For every $326 the government spends on cancer research, it extends a human life by one year, according to a Sept. 14 report from The New York Times on what cuts to research funding could mean for the future of cancer care.
Read how two NCI-designated cancer center leaders are forging ahead in their organizations while facing this period of financial uncertainty here.
Here are the 10 medical schools whose radiation and diagnostic oncology departments received the most funding for medical research in fiscal 2025:
| Total funding | Radiation, diagnostic oncology funding | Proportion of funding to radiation, diagnostic oncology | |
| Overall | $19,297,242,448 | $662,301,456 | 3.43% |
| University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) | $622,537,289 | $46,997,992 | 7.55% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $675,188,873 | $44,350,990 | 6.57% |
| Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) | $580,818,286 | $38,150,342 | 6.57% |
| Stanford (Calif.) University | $573,897,714 | $35,352,212 | 6.16% |
| University of California San Francisco | $724,156,263 | $30,918,150 | 4.27% |
| Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) | $565,329,366 | $27,041,563 | 4.78% |
| Cornell University Weill Medical College (New York City) | $316,504,584 | $26,065,926 | 8.24% |
| New York University School of Medicine (New York City) | $437,996,810 | $26,026,240 | 5.94% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | $297,229,323 | $21,121,651 | 7.11% |
| University of Pittsburgh | $555,351,237 | $19,164,922 | 3.45% |
Here are the 10 medical schools that designated the largest proportion of its medical research funding to its radiation and diagnostic oncology departments in fiscal 2025:
| Total funding | Radiation, diagnostic oncology funding | Proportion of funding to radiation, diagnostic oncology | |
| Overall | $19,297,242,448 | $662,301,456 | 3.43% |
| Wayne State University (Detroit) | $61,682,458 | $13,040,076 | 21.14% |
| Cornell University Weill Medical College (New York City) | $316,504,584 | $26,065,926 | 8.24% |
| University of Maryland (Baltimore) | $164,995,948 | $12,602,858 | 7.64% |
| University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) | $622,537,289 | $46,997,992 | 7.55% |
| University of Missouri (Columbia) | $29,264,462 | $2,173,420 | 7.43% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | $297,229,323 | $21,121,651 | 7.11% |
| Michigan State University (East Lansing) and Henry Ford Health (Detroit) | $64,359,517 | $4,536,111 | 7.05% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $675,188,873 | $44,350,990 | 6.57% |
| Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) | $580,818,286 | $38,150,342 | 6.57% |
| Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia) | $68,121,984 | $4,460,389 | 6.55% |
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