Encompass Health Midcareer Investigator Research Grant

Encompass Health Midcareer Investigator Research Grant is sponsored by Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). This grant supports a proven physiatric investigator to expand their research in a new direction. The Foundation for PM&R funds research related to physiatric rehabilitation, which can include topics relevant to stroke and TBI recovery and spasticity management.

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Encompass Midcareer Investigator Research Grant Encompass Midcareer Investigator Research Grant Mid-Career Research Grant Application Criteria and Conditions The Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is requesting applications for its Mid-Career Investigator Research Grants program.

One grant of $25,000 will be made; it is to be used as seed money for new research projects that extend an established investigator’s work in new directions. Application deadline is May 1. Award is a short-term grant for research in topics related to the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Preference will be given to projects that address the topics in our Research Priorities, listed below. Award will be presented during the AAP Annual Meeting. Information about the grant recipient and his/her paper may be published in the Foundation UPDATE Newsletter and/or other publications.

Additional items may be included in electronic and print materials produced by the Foundation for PM&R. Special thanks to Encompass Health for their support of this research grant. Eligible applicants for grant include any physiatrist or faculty member in a division or department of physical medicine and rehabilitation who is at least 5 and not more than 20 years post-completion of a terminal degree and subsequent training program.

Applicant must be able to demonstrate a history of successful research experience. Special consideration will be given to proposals that meet the Foundation’s goal of driving the evidence base for cost-effective, results-oriented rehabilitative care. Applications must be made using the Mid-Career Investigator Research Grant Application Form.

Application must include a concise statement of the purpose of the research; anticipated outcomes; proposed budget (showing other sources of income and in-kind support); and a letter of support from the sponsoring institution. Please also include your Curriculum Vitae. Indirect costs should comprise no more than 10% of the budget.

The proposed project period should be from 1-2 years. Fully completed applications and all required attachments must be submitted no later than November 1. Application must be submitted through our onlin portal at https://foundationforpmr.

submittable. com/submit. Submissions via fax, email or mail will not be accepted.

Applications will be reviewed by the Awards and Grants Review Committee. Their decisions shall be final. Winner(s) will be notified by September 1.

Awardee must commence his/her research project in a timely fashion. The awards of recipients who are unable to proceed with the proposed scope of work and/or with the terms and conditions of the award may be revoked. Awardee must submit a complete programmatic and fiscal report of his/her seed grant research to the Foundation for PM&R within 24 months of the notification date for the award.

Awardee must submit his/her research findings to the Foundation for PM&R for review and possible presentation at an Annual Assembly of the AAPM&R or AAP. Many of these issues were identified by several experts we interviewed. These are considered high priorities since they involve the full spectrum of rehabilitation research.

They include questions in health services, health policy, and research capacity How do we determine the optimal setting for rehab (e.g., IRF, SNF, outpatient, or home) for an individual patient? Comparative effectiveness research is essential, including cost-benefit analysis. Knowledge translation: How do we get effective therapies (shown by research) to be used in practice?

How do we effect change in the policies of payers to provide optimal treatment to patients? How can we increase the length of stay, the amount of therapy provided daily, and the number of therapy sessions? How can we improve federal support for rehabilitation research and career development of rehabilitation researchers?

The NIH appears to be reluctant to support clinical trials in rehabilitation. Although there is limited research capacity within physiatry, there are many MD and/or PhD scientists in other fields who have expertise that is highly relevant to PM&R and rehabilitation research more broadly defined. We need to partner with other fields and non-clinicians and create an infrastructure for team-based multidisciplinary research.

There is a need for better availability of experienced research mentors. Mentors can come from PM&R and related fields (both physicians and PhD-level scientists). Recommendation: Consider prioritizing research by physiatrists working with at least one researcher from a different field.

This individual can serve as a mentor when appropriate. We need researchers trained in analysis of large data sets as an alternative to randomized clinical trials. Current Foundation for PM&R grants are great for pilot work, but definitive RCTs require substantially greater funding.

The transitions from pilot studies to funded research, and from K to R awards, are challenging and in need of support. II. PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED BY DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS a) Cross-cutting Priorities We need a set of validated outcome measures for each major condition and domain of rehabilitation utilizing the WHO ICF model.

What is the optimal model for therapy and exercise for each condition we treat and for each individual patient? What is the role of reparative therapies (e.g., stem cells, growth factors)? Do they improve outcomes?

How does aging impact an individual with disability? What measures are effective for preventing and treating back pain (especially LBP)? What are the roles of exercise, medications, procedures (epidurals, SI joint injections, ablations) and surgery?

What measures are effective in preventing and treating knee injuries and pain? When is shoulder pain pathological? When does pain reflect normal aging vs. disease or injury?

Is fMRI useful in characterizing pain? Are novel technologies such as platelet and stem cell injections effective for prevention and treatment of pain? What measures are effective in preventing and treating osteoarthritis (particularly of the knee)?

What are the most effective treatments for spine disorders (including analysis of big data sets and personalized approaches)? Aging of the musculoskeletal system What is the biology of tendinopathies? What are the best means for prevention and treatment?

How can we improve the quality and efficiency of post-surgical rehabilitation? Pediatric musculoskeletal and sports medicine We need an improved understanding of and ability to prevent medical consequences of SCI. What are the most effective interventions to improve neurological/functional outcomes after SCI?

How can we improve management of neurogenic bowel and bladder issues? What are the psychosocial consequences of SCI for both persons with SCI and their caregivers/families? How can assistive technology best be used to maximize independence?

What issues are encountered specific to aging with an SCI? What are the key components of “task oriented therapy” for mobility training, upper limb skill training, language training and swallow training? What are the roles of neuromodulation, devices, robotics, virtual reality, and brain-machine interfaces in stroke rehabilitation?

What is the optimal timing of exercise and therapy for a given patient (when to initiate, how long to continue), frequency and duration of therapy sessions (e.g., per day, per week)? What therapies are effective for cognitive and linguistic impairments such as aphasia and visual-spatial deficits? Can we develop novel therapies?

f) Traumatic Brain Injury What are effective approaches to support productive activity and employment (e.g., cognitive assists, training approaches, etc.)? What is the ideal timing and prioritization of motor recovery interventions (e.g., ways to prevent spasticity, when to intervene, early mobilization) given the heterogeneity of recovery in TBI?

How can we best manage the long term issues associated with TBI (emotional, cognitive, physical, quality of life, self-management, life care planning)? What are the most effective treatments for cognitive and emotional problems, including chronic neurobehavioral problems? Are telephone methods for assessment (e.g., BTACT) useful?

How can we address ongoing caregiver needs, particularly with an aging population? There is a need for population-based data on incidence, prevalence, neuro-medical complications and longitudinal recovery (with level I trauma hospitals). Questions about the Mid-Career Investigator Research Grant can be directed to the Foundation at (847) 737-6062 or panderson@foundationforpmr.

org .