The goal of the proposed program is to provide postdoctoral fellows with mentored research training to prepare them for careers as independent investigators in medical rehabilitation research. Three postdoctoral fellows, including two Ph.D.s and one M.D., will begin training in year 1 over a two-year period in this multidisciplinary program designed to produce academicians who are capable of competing for Federal grants and mentoring the next generation of investigators in rehabilitation research. A training faculty representing externally funded basic science and clinical investigators drawn from various departments at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and Rice University, would mentor the research of fellows in hypothesis-driven projects in two areas of concentration, including (1) neuroplasticity and neuroimaging, and (2) medical rehabilitation and clinical trials. The program reflects (a) current models of illness, disablement, and rehabilitation and health;(b) trends in research emphasizing neuroplasticity as a mediator of recovery and response to therapy;(c) interaction of the person with disability and the environment;and (d) the development and evaluation of innovative interventions to mitigate complications of injury and improve health-related quality of life. The core of the training program includes courses in Rehabilitation Research and the Ethical Conduct of Research with elective coursework in the trainee's selected area of concentration and other didactic activities. One-to-one mentoring will be emphasized in the trainee's acquisition of skills in methodology, project management, preparation of manuscripts, communication skills, good citizenship in science, and developing competitive grant applications. Trainees will be selected from all professional areas of medical rehabilitation and Ph.D.s who are trained in fields such as bioengineering, neuropsychology, neuroscience, and health services research. Oversight of the program and methods for evaluation of the trainees and the mentors are proposed. The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine has established procedures for recruitment of qualified candidates who are underrepresented minorities and/or persons with disabilities. The PIs believe that the proposed training-faculty, curriculum, and institutional environment will produce productive and ethical investigators who will advance medical rehabilitation research.
