Kansas University’s School of Medicine improved its rank among schools of medicines in 2008.

KU moved up three spots to rank 65th in the nation and 36th among public schools. Also, KU’s department of anatomy and cell biology ranked No. 5 among public schools. The ranking is based on total National Institutes of Health grant awards. KU received $44.7 million.

“Even during challenging economic times, our innovative faculty members continue to secure new funding for life sciences research,” Barbara Atkinson, executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center and executive dean of the KU School of Medicine, said in a news release. “We are proud of our world-class faculty and the meaningful research they conduct to ultimately improve the health of our region.”