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Research Overview

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Research at Penn State College of Medicine

As a key part of the $1 billion research engine of Penn State, interdisciplinary research is a hallmark of Penn State College of Medicine. Here, experts in the basic sciences and clinicians collaborate to understand the mechanisms of disease, reduce the health disparities facing rural Pennsylvanians, develop next-generation therapeutics and medical devices, utilize advanced imaging and biomedical artificial intelligence, all with the goal to improve health now and for generations to come.

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Population Health in Rural Communities


As Pennsylvania’s only land-grant university, the College of Medicine is committed to improving the health and well-being of communities throughout Pennsylvania. Researchers tackle issues impacting our communities across the state, such as rare cancers, health disparity and substance use disorders. The cross-campus Clinical and Translational Science Institute is leveraging a network of partners to focus translational research on diseases of despair.

Learn more about how Penn State is addressing health in rural communities

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Advancements in Adult and Pediatric Cancer Research


From understanding cancer cell behavior to piloting exercise therapy and clinical trials, scientists and physicians at the College of Medicine take a multifaceted approach to achieving comprehensive cancer discoveries, for the shared purpose of decreasing the impact of cancer in central Pennsylvania and beyond.

Interested in cancer research? Consider becoming a member of an affiliate member of Penn State Cancer Institute.

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Neurosciences


From Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s and healthy aging to neural network mapping, College of Medicine researchers are exploring the brain and all its functions. Institutes such as the Neuroscience Institute bring researchers together to work across the basic and clinical research spectrum to increase human understanding of the normal and diseased brain.

Learn more about how the Penn State Neuroscience Institute creates opportunities to collaborate across basic, translational and clinical sciences

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Seeing is Believing


With state-of-the-art multi-scale imaging equipment and expertise, College of Medicine researchers unlock the building blocks of health by visualizing atoms to whole organisms. Researchers watch in real time as certain proteins, cells, or organs interact with stimuli, adding color and dimension to discovery.

See how a College of Medicine team used advanced imaging to discover new molecular complex at cellular junctions

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AI and Bioinformatics


Researchers at the College of Medicine advance the pace of discovery through the development and application of biomedical artificial intelligence, neural engineering, machine learning and clinical informatics. By Leveraging data from imaging, electronic health records, medical insurance claims, genomic and proteomic analysis, wearable technology and social media outlets, researchers are leveraging data science to produce cutting edge scientific discovery.

Learn more about how College of Medicine faculty are applying biomedical artificial help make rapid advances in biomedical research

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By the numbers

From receiving funding for new and innovative research projects to bringing new technologies to market and educating the next generation of researchers and scholars, we are driving field defining research, from basic to translational, to improve human health now and for generations to come.

Nested Applications

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$159.8M

in research funding in fiscal year 2023

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685

research awards granted to faculty

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45

invention
disclosures

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325

resident graduate students in fiscal year 2023 (PhD, DrPH, MS)

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Conducting research at the College of Medicine

Penn State College of Medicine supports researchers throughout their education and career and at each step in the process of their research. The research lifecycle - including the steps and the Penn State resources available in each phase — is outlined below as a comprehensive view of conducting research at Penn State College of Medicine.

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Core Facilities & Research Resources

The College has both fully supported institutional facilities and independently-available departmental labs and equipment that can be used or hired to assist investigators in their research.

Find out more about our Core Facilities & Research Resources.

Our Research

Clinical research and biomedical sciences research are both crucial to the continued advancement of our medical knowledge.

Find out more about clinical research at Penn State College of Medicine.

Find out more about biomedical sciences research at the College.

See our full Research website.

Research Administration & Support

Getting a new project up and running can be trying for even the most experienced investigator. At the College of Medicine, we have expert staff available to help guide you through the process.

Explore the help available to investigators at each stage of a project.