Encompass Mid-Career Investigator Research Grant

Overview

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. Award is a short-term grant for research in topics related to the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Award will be presented during the AAP Annual Meeting.

About the Award

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.

Grant Conditions

* 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.

Research Priorities

Oversearching Issues

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.

* Health Services

* 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?

* Health Policy

* 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.

* Research Capacity
* 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.

See Priorities Identified By Diagnostic Groups

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* 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.