Principal Investigator: Martin Childers, D.O., Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: John Hewett, Ph.D.
Award Number: H133P050005
Award Amount: $750,000
Abstract: The NIDRR mission to serve persons with disabilities is jeopardized by the lack of rehabilitation clinicians trained in research. To address this nationwide shortage, particularly for underrepresented populations, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) department at the University of Missouri-Columbia will conduct an interdisciplinary research training program, entitled the “Health Activity Rehabilitation Research Training Center (HARRTC)” for physicians, Ph.D.’s and physician researchers. Our specific aim is to prepare postdoctoral trainees with comprehensive, collaborative research skills requisite for a career in independent rehabilitation research. A key outcome of this project is a sustainable, replicable, training model that will enhance the flow of basic research findings to clinical settings, thereby enhancing rehabilitation strategies for individual with disabilities. This project supports five full-time postdoctoral fellowships over five program years. One third of our fellows will be selected from underrepresented populations, including individuals with disabilities. Postdoctoral fellows will study a rigorous, two-year core curriculum in advanced scientific methodology, and engage in multidisciplinary training experiences through (a) collaborating agencies, (b) campus and community settings, (c) research mentors (scientists) from Biomedical Sciences, Physiology and Pharmacology, Nutrition Sciences, and Physical Therapy, and (d) rehabilitation clinician-mentors. Trainees will work closely with scientist mentors in accessible, state-of-the art research facilities investigating effects of physical activity at all levels of scientific inquiry. By the conclusion of training, postdoctoral fellows will have completed a supervised independent research project, prepared scientific manuscripts, presented their research findings at national meetings, and submitted their capstone project, an extramural grant application.