The University of Minnesota and the Department of Surgery rank highly in the number and amount of research grants, according to the National Science Foundation. We receive several million dollars each fiscal year in sponsored research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), internal allocations, and private donations.

#4
2023 Blue Ridge NIH Research Ranking
Program in the History of Medicine

Program in the History of Medicine

Since its founding in 1967, the Medical School’s Program in the History of Medicine has been dedicated to research and teaching in the intellectual, political, cultural, and social history of disease, health care, and medical science.

Basic & Translational Sciences Laboratory
Basic & Translational Research

Basic and Translational Research comprises an intellectually diverse subgroup of nonclinical Department of Surgery specialists that represent a wide-ranging skill set.

Experimental Surgical Services
Experimental Surgical Services

As a leading pre-clinical research center, Experimental Surgical Services is dedicated to advancing medical technology through translational research.

PCRC 2023
Preclinical Research Center 

PCRC leads the way in outstanding biomedical research using world-class modeling that is inspired by our innovation, creativity, and deep commitment to the psychological well-being, health, and biology of animals used in research.

NLP
Natural Language Processing/Information Extraction Program

The Natural Language Processing/Information Extraction (NLP/IE) Program works on natural language processing (NLP) for a variety of clinical and biomedical tasks.

SDI
Schulze Diabetes Institute

Developing a cure takes a combination of brilliant minds, high-tech facilities and robust funding to ensure scientists can do their work. The Schulze Diabetes Institute brings it all together.

surgery vhl
Visible Heart Laboratories

The Visible Heart Laboratories are premier labs that perform translational systems physiology research which ranges from cellular and tissue studies to organ and whole body investigations.

Research Activities

The department has pursued intensive research for the past three decades under the auspices of the only NIH-sponsored program project grant in organ transplantation. This grant supports research in transplant immunology in animals and humans, with studies in xenotransplantation, pancreas and islet transplantation, basic transplant immunology, and comparison of various immunosuppressive regimens.

A unique research experience distinguishes our program from many if not most others. At the completion of the PGY-3 year, over 95% of our residents conduct independent, supervised research, without clinical responsibilities, for an intense period of 1 to 4 years.

Surgery Clinical Trials Office

The Surgery Clinical Trials Office (SurgCTO) is available to collaborate with and provide support for investigators and their research teams in all phases of clinical research, including the organization, implementation, and completion of clinical research studies.

Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care: Scholars Program

The Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care Scholars Program's purpose is to fund prehospital care research projects that investigate the factors driving less than optimal outcome for trauma patients. This program supports early career investigators. For more information, email traumacare@umn.edu.

Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care: Pilot Project Program

The purpose of the Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care Pilot Project Program is to fund research projects with a focus on prehospital trauma care including rural trauma care, wound management, infection prevention, prolonged field care, point of injury care, and resuscitation. This program supports early career investigators. For more information, email traumacare@umn.edu.

Research Ethics

We are committed to protecting research participants, upholding ethical standards, and improving our practice at every step of our work.

Commitment to Research Ethics