For the second year in a row, the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies joins research giants UPenn, Columbia, Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Yale atop a tally of National Institutes of Health funding to private nursing schools. "NIH funding is one of the most competitive and respected measures of research excellence in higher education in the health sciences, so the fact that we're 13 out of all nursing institutions and 6 among private schools is very important," said Guillermo "Willy" Prado, associate dean for research affairs and Distinguished University Professor of Nursing and Health Studies. "It means we at the school are leading high-impact, significant studies that address important issues in a number of areas, including but not limited to chronic disease, addiction, mental health, and innovative care delivery. "
Last month, Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) reported that the NIH funding total for School of Nursing and Health Studies-led projects totaled $6,918,767 for the 2025 government fiscal year (10/1/24-9/30/25). These projects represent nearly a third of all active NIH-funded projects on the University's Coral Gables campus for the 2025 fiscal year, according to NIH RePORTER data. This marks the 20th year the school is Florida's #1 private NIH-funded nursing school, based on annual rankings BRIMR has published online since 2006.
"Our research has real-world results, directly informing clinical practice and shaping health policy," said Prado. "Evidence-based interventions we're discovering in our laboratories are being implemented in community and clinical practice where it ultimately improves public health."
Under the leadership of Prado, a prevention scientist, and Dean Hudson P. Santos, a nurse scientist, the school is advancing a growing portfolio of interdisciplinary research initiatives in priority areas informed by evolving science and technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), genomics, and implementation science, or "the science of understanding how to integrate evidence-based interventions into practice in sustainable ways," explained Prado. Interdisciplinary teams of doctorally prepared nurses, psychologists, prevention scientists, epidemiologists, and other health experts are working closely with community partners to translate evidence into actionable solutions.
The school's NIH-funded research targets critical health goals for at-risk populations, including:
- Reducing adolescent drug use and poor mental health, which are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in the United States.
- Improving understanding of maternal and child health as a leading site for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program Cohort Study, one of the largest, most comprehensive pediatric research initiatives in the U.S.
- Leveraging bilingual education-entertainment and social media to advance family-centered early obesity prevention for Hispanic families.
- Equipping nurses to implement and scale interventions addressing the substance use, mental health challenges, and violence (SAVA + MH) syndemic contributing to the U.S. HIV epidemic.
- Providing intensive implementation training through the NIH-funded Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM).
"This ranking reflects a trajectory of excellence and places us among the most research-intensive schools of nursing and health studies in the country," said Prado. "This is a collective achievement. Our faculty, staff and students should all be very proud of the meaningful impact their work is making in our local communities and beyond."
The school's ongoing collective success, added Prado, stems from robust investment in grant support, rigorous mentoring opportunities, the newly launched Dean's Pilot Research Awards program, and the Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLaRO), a high-caliber strategic hub and research training program that has prepared dozens of early career scholars for consequential research careers.
"The school is pioneering transformative approaches that directly address pressing local and national health priorities," said Dean Hudson Santos, the Dolores J. Chambreau, RN Endowed Chair in Nursing. "As we continue to nurture and grow this vibrant research ecosystem, our potential to improve community health outcomes remains limitless."
