Doctoral Training Program in Movement Science

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A primary goal of the National Center of Medical Rehabilitation Research is to bring the health related problems of people with disabilities to the attention of America's best scientists in order to capitalize upon the myriad advances occurring in the biological, behavioral, and engineering sciences. The purpose of this training grant is to continue to produce outstanding rehabilitation scientists by providing pre- and post-doctoral training (3 pre- and 1 post-doctoral slots per year) in Movement Science to health professionals from an interdisciplinary faculty. As an expansion of this successful Movement Science Program, the PIs are requesting one additional pre-doctoral slot and one post-doctoral slot. The training program is administratively housed in the Program in Physical Therapy but it is an interdisciplinary program and currently half of its pre-doctoral trainees and all of its post-doctoral trainees are from non-PT backgrounds (i.e., biomedical engineering, exercise science, kinesiology, neuroscience, occupational therapy). The environment at Washington University Medical Center is ideally suited for this training because it combines a premiere medical school with a strong infrastructure for research and a hospital system that includes a world-class rehabilitation center. The training program utilizes the expertise of outstanding investigators to provide interdisciplinary guidance in academic and research activities and is built on a core of biocontrol, biomechanics, and bioenergetics. The program has active involvement from well-respected and established investigators in many related fields including the Neurosciences, Medicine, Orthopedics, Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, and Psychology. The use of established investigators with an interest in integrating basic science and clinical manifestations of disease and injury is an effective means of producing high quality, interdisciplinary research in rehabilitation. The average duration of training has been 4.5 years in the full time pre-doctoral program over its 21 years of existence. Funded trainees are productive (average 6 peer reviewed publications associated with training) and have a low drop-out rate (12%). Training grant funded graduates are all employed in academic settings (100%) and have gone on to be productive in obtaining extramural funding, publishing research in the area of rehabilitation, and training other scientists and professionals in rehabilitation related fields.