Durham's Duke University comes in sixth for medical research on the U.S. News and World Report list. Duke's preeminence as a medical school is well known. Partly due to the existence of Duke, Durham refers to itself as the "City of Medicine." The Duke University School of Medicine, founded in 1930, is young compared to its peers, but its relative youth did not preclude the school from major contributions in the field of medicine. In 1985, Duke became one of two hospitals to first conduct human clinical trials of AZT, the drug that would go on to help thousands of AIDS patients. In 2003, research at Duke demonstrated that magnetic resonance could be used to observe the effects of medicine on brain structure. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Myozyme, a treatment for Pompe disease that was discovered at Duke. Duke is part of North Carolina's Research Triangle Park region, which is home to many pharmaceutical companies as well as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, another world-class medical school, so the atmosphere at Duke is perfect for anyone wishing to immerse themselves in medicine.
Duke University School of Medicine
Office of Admissions
DUMC 3710
Durham, NC 27710
919-684-2985
www.dukemed.duke.edu
The U.S. News and World Report list ranks the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 20th in research, but second in primary care. As previously mentioned, UNC Chapel Hill is also part of the Research Triangle Park region, a location well-suited to any medical student. Founded in 1879, UNC has long been a leader in healthcare, and, according to its website, continues to this day its mission "to be the nation's leading public school of medicine." UNC is home to a Nobel Laureate, Dr. Oliver Smithies, who won the Nobel Prize in 2007. As a public university, it is possible for students to take advantage of in-state tuition. For residents of North Carolina, tuition is $11,207. For those coming from out of state, tuition is $35,273.
University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
CB #7000
4030 Bondurant Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
919-962-8331
www.med.unc.edu
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is ranked 44th for research according to U.S. News and World Report. Unlike the two previous schools on this list, Wake Forest is not located in North Carolina's Research Triangle, but rather in Winston-Salem, part of North Carolina's Triad region. As a top research institution, numerous studies are performed at Wake Forest. Recent research explored how a lack of sleep could lead to fat growth near vital organs, and also how adult bone marrow stem cells could help heart attack patients.
Wake Forest University
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
336-716-4264
www.wfubmc.edu