Societal demand for high quality rehabilitation-related research relevant to chronic diseases and disabilities is increasing with the aging of the population in the United States. The objective of the proposed Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program (ARRTP) is to provide trainees with academic and research preparation in fields pertinent to the emerging discipline of physical rehabilitation science (PRS). The existing UMB-PRS program, which will be augmented by this ARRTP, offers predoctoral students and post-doctoral fellows an educational curriculum and laboratory experiences with an emphasis in one of five academic sub-disciplines or concentration areas: applied anatomy and cell biology, rehabilitation biomechanics, epidemiology, neuromotor control/plasticity, and rehabilitation physiology. Trainees are subsequently afforded research development opportunities in areas where participating faculty have ongoing externally funded collaborations. These areas include stroke, spinal cord injury, hip fracture, rheumatological/immunological diseases and developmental disorders. The training program features rigorous academic and research requirements that are individually tailored to develop scientists that are capable of becoming independent investigators. It is expected that graduates and fellows will be capable of drawing on the skills and informational bases of their chosen sub-discipline to expand overall knowledge related to the mechanisms and epidemiology of physical disability and rehabilitation. Additional opportunities for collaborative research across campus are available through established training programs in neurology, geriatrics, pediatrics, epidemiology and rheumatology. The strengths of the proposed ARRTP are (1) strong institutional and school support, (2) an interdisciplinary faculty, (3) ongoing interdisciplinary research in suitable fields, and (4) well-equipped laboratories. The didactic portion of the program includes course work designed to develop competence in foundational sciences, analytical methodologies, and a substantive concentration area through formal lectures, independent study, research seminars, journal clubs, and regular training in the ethical conduct of research. The training program is designed to enable trainees to (1) master a core curriculum in foundational biophysical sciences and scientific methodologies, (2) become knowledgeable about fundamental rehabilitative and psychosocial processes related to disability, (3) become expert in at least one substantive area relevant to the reversal of impairment and functional decline in a disabled population, (4) learn to contribute to a research team under the supervision of a primary mentor expert in a disability-specific field with appropriate mentorship by secondary and associate experts in rehabilitation research, and (5) demonstrate the capacity to conduct independent, original research related to rehabilitation.
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