K12 Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program
Program Overview
The University of Texas Medical Branch
(UTMB) and The University of Florida
(UF) have developed a Rehabilitation
Research Career Development (RRCD) program in collaboration with a
network of NCMRR Research Infrastructure Cores, VA Centers of Excellence,
rehabilitation research institutes, and physical and occupational therapy
departments nationwide. The RRCD Program will recruit and train rehabilitation
scientists who are occupational and physical therapists. Program activities
will provide trainees with the skills necessary
to become independent investigators and future leaders and mentors in
rehabilitation. UTMB and UF will function as a consortium to provide an
integrated research and educational infrastructure to assure the success
of the proposed program. The RRCD program will take advantage of existing
resources at UTMB and UF including K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Awards,
General Clinical Research Centers, and Older American Independence (Pepper)
Centers (P30). The career development opportunities associated with these
centers and grants will be integrated into the RRCD program. The RRCD
program will provide up to three years of NIH support for physical and
occupational therapists and is comprised of two phases:
Phase 1 (Years 1-3) is designed to provide scholars with the foundation
needed for a productive career in rehabilitation oriented research. A
Lead Mentor will be chosen and an individualized career development plan
will be developed based on the scholar’s past training and experience.
The individualized plan will consist of 1) a structured didactic program
focused on research methodology; 2) specialized courses and seminars;
and 3) mentored grant writing experiences. In Phase 1, scholars will commit
75-100% time to research career development activities.
Phase 2 (Years 4-5), is the period of transition for RRCD scholars to
move into independent researcher positions and will no longer be directly
supported by K12 funding. Scholars will remain associated with the RRCD
program and will continue to receive mentorship from the Lead Mentor,
and research team. The RRCD program will take advantage of its extensive
rehabilitation research network to negotiate faculty positions in research
supportive environments.
Program Administration
The Rehabilitation Research Career Development (RRCD) Program will educate
and train future rehabilitation scientists.
The NIH National Center Medical Rehabilitation Research (NICHD) and the
National Institute Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K12 HD055929) award
at the University of Texas Medical Branch and The University of Florida
is under the direction of Principal Investigator Kenneth
Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, Professor & Director, Division of Rehabilitation
Sciences, UTMB, and Deputy Director Krista Vandenborne,
PhD, PT, Professor & Chair, Department of Physical Therapy.
William Mann, PhD, OTR, Professor & Chair, Department of Occupational
Therapy, UF and Elizabeth
Protas, PhD, PT, Professor & Dean, School of Health Professions,
UTMB, serve as Associate Program Directors. The RRCD Evaluation Coordinator
is Craig
Velozo, PhD, OTR, Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, UF.
The RRCD Recruitment Officer is Beatriz
Abreu, PhD, OTR, Director of Occupational Therapy, Transitional Learning
Center and Clinical Professor, Occupational Therapy, UTMB.
The Principal Investigator and Deputy Director are assisted by a large
group of Faculty Mentors and an External
Advisory Board consisting of senior rehabilitation scientists, center
directors and physical and occupational therapy leaders from other academic
institutions. The Advisory Board will review the RRCD Program annually and
will play a prominent role in the recruitment of scholars and identifying/negotiation
of academic positions nationwide in Phase 2.
The RRCD Program Administration is housed in the Division of Rehabilitation
Sciences, UTMB and is coordinated by Beth
Cammarn, Administrative Specialist, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences,
UTMB Ellen L. Esparolini, Coordinator of Research,
Department of Physical Therapy, UF serves as RRCD Program Coordinator.
Faculty
Mentors
A total of 28 Lead Mentors, additional Support Faculty and Mentoring
Teams will lead the RRCD Program.
Read more about the UTMB and UF faculty mentors here.
Who is eligible to apply for a position on
the career development grant?
All individuals supported by this grant mechanism must be US citizens or non-citizen nationals (permanent residents). Applicants must be licensed physical or occupational therapists with a research doctorate. Applicants may not have been a principal investigator on any major NIH research project.
What are the criteria for acceptance into
the program?
1. At least one year postdoctoral research experience
is preferred, but no more than five years. This experience includes a traditional
fellowship, research institute or center, or a faculty position with minimum
teaching and service responsibility.
2. Applicants must identify a Lead Mentor.
Read more about the application process here.
What are the expectations of the Scholars?
Scholars must be willing to train for at least two years at one of the consortium institutions, University of Texas Medical Branch or University of Florida. Scholars will have the opportunity to become future leaders and mentors in rehabilitation. Scholars will acquire extensive research experience, generate, analyze, present and publish research data, and become equipped to compete for independent external research funding. The RRCD program will take advantage of its extensive rehabilitation research network to negotiate faculty positions in research supportive academic environments. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase the number of rigorously trained, extramurally competitive, and scientifically competent rehabilitation scientists who will conduct translational investigations, lead clinical research teams, and eventually mentor the next generation of occupational and physical therapy investigators.
Contact Info:
Mailing Address:
Division of Rehabilitation Sciences
RRCD Program
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, TX 77555-1137
Phone: (409) 747-1637
Fax: (409) 747-1638
Email: rehab.info@utmb.edu
| UTMB Program Director | UF Program Director | UTMB Program Coordinator | UF Program Coordinator | |
| Kenneth Ottenbacher | Krista Vandenborne | Beth Cammarn | Ellen L. Esparolini | |
| Professor & Director | Professor & Chair | Administrative Specialist | Coordinator, Research Programs | |
| Rehabilitation Sciences | Department of Physical Therapy | Rehabilitation Sciences | Department of Physical Therapy | |
| 409-747-1637 | 352-273-6085 | 409-747-1637 | 352-273-6572 | |
| kottenba@utmb.edu | kvandenb@phhp.ufl.edu | rehab.info@utmb.edu | eesparol@phhp.ufl.edu |
