Human Health
Our goal is to address today's most pressing health challenges through discovery, innovation and collaboration.
UND Health Research
UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences leads research that improves the quality of life for all North Dakotans and beyond. This work includes fighting diseases that affect our region at higher rates, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cancer, drug addiction, infectious diseases and epigenetics, and pioneering partnerships that connect clinical practice, public health and translational science to deliver real-world impact.
- UND hosts one of six USDA Human Nutrition Research Centers in the nation and has secured continuous NIH Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) funding for more than 15 years.
- A $20.3 million federal grant enabled UND to work with NDSU, Sanford, and others to determine unique ways to better prevent and treat cancer in North Dakota, reducing state costs and enhancing care quality.
- Large federal grants have funded groups of researchers to study host-pathogen interactions, particularly timely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the long term consequences of behavioral and environmental trauma with particular reference to that suffered by indigenous peoples and how exposure to developmental and environmental stress leads to the accumulation of genome-wide epigenetic changes and whether these changes can eventually cause or exacerbate the development of aging-associated diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular disease.
- Establishing a practice-based research network focused on Native American and rural health issues.
- Pioneering initiatives and implemented critical programs in mental and behavioral health, meeting the healthcare needs of rural and indigenous populations.
UND’s Human Health Capabilities
UND's SMHS has robust research capabilities in a variety of diseases prevalent in North Dakota:
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s
- Alzheimer’s
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Addiction
- Aging
SMHS has a strong clinical/patient treatment presence across North Dakota and connections with provider networks.
UND’s SMHS and allied health disciplines are major providers of the state’s healthcare workforce. UND’s allied health disciplines (nursing, social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, public health, kinesiology) provide valuable training for the North Dakota healthcare community (e.g., the majority of North Dakota’s nurses are UND graduates) and carry out research.
Million dollars of federal funding annually, creating high value job opportunities.
Million dollars in federal grants enabled UND to work with NDSU, Sanford, and others to determine unique ways to better prevent and treat cancer in North Dakota.
With the state's only medical school, UND has a long history of expertise, research and excellence.
National Institute of Health and Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence
Continuous funding for 15+ years and has provided $50+ million in federal funding during that span.
Neurosciences, Infectious Disease and Epigenetics
COBRE funding has created nationally competitive research programs (e.g., studies of how environmental factors can lead to cancer).
All-Time Highest Level of Research Funding
Ten SMHS investigators hold the highest National Institutes of Health (NIH) award available.
Clinical and Translational Research
The SMHS is leading a partnership from across UND, the state and beyond to help counter high rates of cancer with the support of a $20.3 million, 5 year grant from the National Institutes of Health.