The proposed project will offer pre-doctoral stipends to qualified individuals interested in clinical research and/or academic careers related to medical rehabilitation and rehabilitation science. Four stipends will be offered to students enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. Curriculum offered through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. Each student receiving a stipend will complete course work and conduct research under the supervision of a faculty member in the rehabilitation science curriculum. The collaborating departments, faculty members and facilities involved in the rehabilitation science curriculum are uniquely qualified to offer interdisciplinary research training in rehabilitation science. Resources include the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, the UTMB Center for Population Health and Health Disparities, the Sealy Center on Aging, the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences and the Transitional Learning Center - a residential rehabilitation facility serving patients and clients with brain injury and other neurological impairments. The School of Allied Health Sciences and the University of Texas Medical Branch have excellent research facilities and support services. UTMB currently ranks in the top twenty institutions in the United States in total NIH funding received to conduct biomedical and health related research. Doctoral education and research training in the rehabilitation sciences curriculum is based on the Enabling-Disabling Model proposed by the Institute of Medicine and provides a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research consistent with the NIH Roadmap and other national and federal initiates. In addition to participating in clinical research activities, students will complete course work with a focus on evidence-based methods to help prepare them for careers as rehabilitation scientists. The curriculum also includes specific courses and experiences related to research ethics and scientific integrity. The activities of each student will be directed by a faculty supervisor with a demonstrated ability to implement, conduct and disseminate the results of research investigations important to the advancement of rehabilitation science. A plan to identify and track qualified underrepresented minority candidates has been developed. This plan is a continuation of the successful efforts to recruit underrepresented and disadvantaged graduate students and fellows. More than thirty percent of previous students and fellows receiving federal stipends have been members of underrepresented groups.
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