Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation of Neural Dysfunction

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Project Summary This proposal seeks funding for the seventh cycle of our training program in Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation of Neural Dysfunction (PRND). The program is based at Northwestern University, in close collaboration with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. It is directed by Dr. Eric Perreault, PhD, and co-directed by Drs. Levi Hargrove, PhD, Lee Miller, PhD and Elliot Roth, MD. Trainees will be mentored by 26 highly collaborative and productive scientists from seven departments in engineering and medicine. This group has broad expertise relevant to the pathophysiology and rehabilitation of neural dysfunction, ranging from cellular neurophysiology to the engineering of novel techniques, materials, and machines, to clinical implementation. Over the life of this program, 49 predoctoral fellows, 36 postdoctoral fellows, and 17 summer interns have been supported financially, and more than 200 others have benefitted from our T32 activities. Most trainees remain in academia, and many are now established leaders in rehabilitation medicine. Our mission is to train prospective researchers from engineering and the basic sciences to perform research on fundamental mechanisms underlying disabling neurological illness, to guide the development of clinically meaningful tools for quantifying and relieving the severity and impact of neurologic illness, and to pursue research on the effects of rehabilitation interventions on disabling illnesses. Our training begins with a clinical experience centered on the patient, thereby providing context for future research. The clinical experience is supplemented by scientific training in the mechanisms of neurological dysfunction, information on technology transfer from the laboratory to the patient, and several professional and network development activities to prepare our trainees for a productive career in rehabilitation science. In this renewal application, we aim to build on our past achievements and increase our impact through enhancements that will broaden the community of scientists we reach, refine the clinical experience we provide, increase the rigor of our inquiry, and strengthen the professional development opportunities facilitating the transition from trainee to independent scientist. We propose to train three predoctoral fellows, three postdoctoral fellows and two summer interns. This is an increase of one postdoctoral fellow and one intern over our current levels, reflecting growth in our research capacity. Predoctoral trainees will be selected from the rich pool of applicants in the participating engineering departments (Biomedical, Computer Science, Materials Science, and Mechanical). Postdoctoral fellows will be selected from these same departments, and from the medical departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, and Physiology. All participants will complete two years of training. By integrating the proposed innovations with the successful practices already in place, we expect to continue advancing the science and practice of rehabilitation medicine by training the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders.