This is an application from Dana McCarty, DPT for a supplement position to the North Carolina Clinical and Translational Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute?s KL2 Program. The proposal is responding to the request from NCCIH for ?scholars pursuing complementary health research career development.? As a pediatric physical therapist specializing in the care of extremely preterm (EP) infants, Dr. McCarty has made a number of observations about optimal ways to support parents and infants as they transition from a prolonged hospital stay to the home setting. Within this proposal, Dr. McCarty outlines a research plan that will determine the feasibility and acceptability of a structured, physical therapist-led program that she developed based on this clinical experience. The program, called TEMPO, teaches and supports parents to deliver physical therapy interventions (e.g. massage and developmental play) to their extremely pre-term infants in the hospital, and to continue the interventions in the home setting. While this study will be limited to assessment of feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, the long-term goal is to evaluate the effect of TEMPO on measures of parent anxiety and depression. The study data will inform an R21 or R34 proposal for a small, randomized trial to further evaluate the refined version of TEMPO. That next study will in turn provide the preliminary data for a multi-center randomized controlled trial to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of TEMPO. To assist Dr. McCarty to develop the skills that will lead her to transition to research independence, Dr. McCarty has worked with her mentors and the KL2 faculty to create a training and career development plan consisting of formal coursework, experiential exposures/mentored activities, and integration into existing activities with the KL2 Scholars and the resources and services of the NC TraCS Institute. Dr. McCarty has assembled an accomplished team of interdisciplinary mentors and supplemented this team with two established researchers who will serve in an advisory capacity. Given the outstanding training environment, expert mentors, and resources of NC TraCS and the KL2, this application is responsive to the goals outlined in the RFA. Dr. McCarty will be well positioned to implement the research and obtain the skills to build her career as an independent researcher in complementary and integrative health approaches for the unique population of high-risk infants and their parents.
This proposal is to support the research, training and career development of Dana McCarty, PT DPT. Through the proposal, Dr. McCarty will study the feasibility of a physical therapist-led intervention for parents of extremely preterm infants. Dr. McCarty will also obtain training in research methods and professional development to support a future career as an independent investigator.
