Research

Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is an internationally recognized leader in the creation of new knowledge and therapies to improve health in individuals and populations. With sponsored research totaling hundreds of millions annually, our faculty pursue research that encompasses all areas of contemporary biomedical investigation and public health.

Research at CUIMC Colleges and Schools

For more information, visit the research sections of these websites:

• Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• College of Dental Medicine
• School of Nursing
• Mailman School of Public Health

Our History of Groundbreaking Research

Our tradition of innovation includes:

• First successful heart transplant in a child
• Nobel-winning developments in cardiac catheterization and cryo-electron microscopy
• First use of dilantin to treat epilepsy
• Development of the antibiotic bacitracin
• Identification of cystic fibrosis
• Isolation of the first known odor receptors in the nose
• Discoveries about how memory is stored in the brain
• Creation of the Apgar score to assess newborns
• Design of the first significant programs to reduce maternal mortality in resource-poor countries
• Oldest program in nurse midwifery

In 2017, Joachim Frank, PhD, was among the three researchers awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for helping to pioneer the development of cryo-electron microscopy, a technique used to reveal the structures of large biological molecules at atomic resolution. He is professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at CUIMC and professor of biological sciences on Columbia’s Morningside campus. Dr. Frank is the third researcher from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons to win the prize since 2000.