"The purpose of the AAP is to advance academic physiatry by providing leading edge programs, products, and services"

Become Tomorrow's Rehabilitation Researcher!
Join the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program

Many entry level academic faculty are seeking ways to enhance their research career development, and it is difficult for department chairs to support protected research time in the absence of extramural funding. The Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP), funded by a K12 grant from the NIH, can be an important resource in faculty development.

In the past, the RMSTP has targeted its recruitment primarily to residents, to give sufficient planning time to enter a productive fellowship immediately after residency. However, physiatrists are eligible to apply for RMSTP funding up to 5 years after completing their residency or clinical fellowship. Thus, junior faculty within this time frame can be funded by the RMSTP to enhance their research training under the guidance of a productive mentor.

We plan to continue our efforts to recruit PGY2 and PGY3 level residents into the program, but will simultaneously increase our efforts to recruit junior faculty. We begin this process by requesting applications for a fellowship slot(s). Interested applicants should contact the RMSTP Program Coordinator, Mary Czerniak, at meczerni@einstein.edu or 215-663-6592 for application materials and information.

Applications must be submitted by
September 1, 2009 for funding beginning spring-summer 2010.

K-12 Grant Information

Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program
Made possible through funding from:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute of Child Health Human Development (NICHD)
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP)

The Need for Physiatric Research

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) as a specialty faces exciting opportunities to contribute to the health and well-being of society. As a specialty that concerns itself not with a specific organ system, but with human performance and function, the field has much to offer in the way of solutions to critical societal issues such as the aging of the population, the saving of individuals with formerly lethal conditions, and the increased societal recognition of the importance of quality of life. Moreover, advances in other scientific arenas offer new and exciting tools that may be applied to problems of human function.

Like all other medical specialties, advances in PM&R are dependent upon research. Real challenges are faced by the field as it is a relatively small specialty, new in comparison to other disciplines, lacks a history of major research involvement, and operates within a highly complex theoretical framework. Moreover, because rehabilitation science concerns itself with analytic levels ranging from molecular to social, appropriate models for advanced research training differ from those that have been successful in more narrowly defined scientific disciplines.

Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Defined

The Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP) provides research training, mentorship and career development support for those physiatrists committed to developing productive careers in academic medicine and research. The ultimate aim of the RMSTP is to increase the number of rigorously trained, extramurally competitive and scientifically productive faculty members in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) departments, who can contribute to the continued development of physiatric research specifically and rehabilitation science in general.

Resident Participants in the RMSTP will engage in a three-phase process spanning eight years. Prior to entrance into the program, (the pre-application phase), potential candidates will be exposed to essential preparatory activities including early career counseling and scientific mentorship. Phase I of the RMSTP focuses on research and training conducted in the laboratory of a productive senior scientist in the area of interest to the trainee. Phase II consists of the first two years of junior faculty status, where the trainee will transition into a career as an independent investigator. Individuals who are already in junior faculty positions may enter directly into Phase I if they have received adequate preparation previously.

Program Vision

If physiatrists treat problems in human function, then one might define physiatric researchers as scientists of human function. Thus, it becomes obvious that there is no one type of training experience or skill set which is "appropriate" for all physiatric researchers. The goal of the RMSTP, therefore, is to expose physiatrists to tools and knowledge bases that are closely related to the problems of human function that they wish to understand and to help them transform these tools into the building blocks of a physiatric research base.

RMSTP also seeks to expose the trainees to opportunities for ongoing collaboration with investigators in related disciplines who possess a depth of knowledge in their own fields so as to continually enrich the collaborative stream of research and create an environment in which mentorship is consistently present.

Trainees are the essential component of a completed vision of the research-intensive PM&R department, populated by faculty who are experts on human functions of various kinds with the tools and skills necessary to transform concepts into scientific fact.

Program Structure

The RMSTP provides three years of NIH support for physiatrists who will devote themselves to academic careers with a strong research component. Participation for the selected candidates in the RMSTP will be separated into three distinct phases:

Pre-application (for PM&R Residents):

Paid attendance to the AAP Annual Meeting
Participation in the Research Training Workshop
Career Development training activities
Research exploration
Scientific mentorship

Phase I :

Placement of the trainee in the lab of a selected senior scientist
Protected research time
Provision of annual research stipend of up to $75,000 and fringe benefits (Host benefit rate)
Annual allotment of $10,000 for research supplies
Paid attendance to the AAP Annual Meeting
Paid attendance to the Annual Research Training Workshop
Visibility for research findings at the AAP Annual Meeting and professional publications including the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Career counseling
Job placement assistance

Phase II :

Transition to junior faculty position
Provision of protected research time
Development of independent research program including a focus on grant-writing skill, negotiations for internal support, structuring clinical work to maximize research opportunities, etc.
Travel funds for participation in the Annual Research Training Workshop and the AAP Annual Meeting

Who Should Apply?

The RMSTP is focused on the enhancement of research conducted in the field of PM&R. The ultimate aim of the program is to increase the number of rigorously trained, extramurally competitive and scientifically productive faculty members in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) departments, who can contribute to the continued development of the physiatric research specifically and rehabilitation science in general.

Physiatrists interested in a career substantially devoted to extramurally funded research (typically over 50%)
Physiatrists within 5 years of completion of their residency or subsequent fellowship, as of the planned start of their research training
US citizens and Permanent Residents

Benefits to the Faculty Member and Their Department

Salary support of up to $75,000 for 75% effort for up to 3 years to conduct research in an appropriate mentor's laboratory
$10,000 annually in research and educational expenses
Additional career mentorship from the directors of the RMSTP (Drs. Whyte & Boninger) and through the RMSTP network of trainees and mentors

Candidate Time Commitment

Those individuals interested in participating in the RMSTP must possess a genuine interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine with a significant focus on research activities. Initial time commitments include, but are not limited to:

Completion of initial application
Attendance at the AAP Annual Meeting and the pre-meeting Research Training Workshop (cost covered for residents)
Consistent communication including annual written reports and regular phone conferences
Completion of assignments throughout the year at the designated time
Completion of 3 years in a mentor's lab
Designation of 75% of work time to research

Resources Required of the Department and Institution during Phase I (non-research time limited to, at most 1.5 days per week, and subject to the approval of the directors of the RMSTP)

The availability of a suitable mentor in the immediate geographic area (suitability generally being indicated by extensive research experience in a scientific domain relevant to the trainee’s interests, a successful extramural funding record, and evidence of success in prior mentoring experiences)
A commitment to limit the trainee’s non-research work to 25% effort

Resident Application Process (PGY2/PGY3)

The following materials should be submitted for review by the RMSTP Advisory Board:

Letter of nomination from PM&R department chair (including commitment to fund the trainee's travel to AAP annual meetings and AAP membership, if selected. Willingness to try to provide flexibility, as feasible, to the trainee to develop the Phase I application during the latter part of the PGY3 year)
Personal statement describing, as specifically as possible, the candidate's area of research interest, future career goals, and prior research and related academic experience
Current curriculum vitae
Medical school transcript
Copy of medical school Dean's letter

Phase I Application

Please prepare an application that provides the following information. Number each section according to this list, and save it in PDF format in a font no smaller than 12 point. Email the application to Mary Czerniak, RMSTP Program Coordinator, at meczerni@einstein.edu.

1. Trainee's Name

2. PM&R Residency Training Institution

3. Proposed primary mentor, mentor's department, and institution

4. List any secondary mentors, their departments, and institutions.

5. Proposed faculty position: If you have already identified a likely faculty position in a PM&R department, please identify the department and the current status of your discussions regarding that faculty position (i.e., provide information about tentative discussions as well as more formal offers).

6. 4-page biographical sketch of trainee, using NIH format (contact Mary Czerniak, meczerni@einstein.edu, for template if necessary).

7. NIH biographical sketches of mentors (Dr. John Whyte will provide if these are previously approved mentors).

8. Statement of career goals (1/2 page maximum): Briefly describe the type of academic career you see yourself in 10 years from now, including such issues as type of institution, proportion of time spent in research and other activities, patient population(s) of interest, and nature of research involvement.

9 Training plan (5 single spaced pages, maximum): In the context of your stated career goals, identify the skills you need to acquire and how you will do this. Discuss the rationale for your choice of mentor(s), any course work you anticipate taking, and any other training activities you propose.

10. Research plan (10 single spaced pages, maximum, excluding references): Describe the research you plan to conduct during the 3 years spent with your mentor in Phase I. Your research plan should include subheadings on Specific Aims and Hypotheses; Background; Research Subjects/Research Material; and Methods (including Data Analysis). The selection committee understands that the research plan may not be fully mature. Be as specific and detailed as you can be in each section.

11. Budget: Candidates need not submit a 3-year itemized budget to support the research plan. However, they should state either that their research expenses can be covered by the $10,000/year available from the RMSTP fellowship, or identify how additional costs will be covered.

12. Statement from proposed primary mentor: This statement should demonstrate his/her commitment to your mentorship and be as specific as possible with respect to time commitments, access to resources, and opportunities for participation in related training activities. If the mentor's resources are required to support the trainee's research plan, the mentor's statement should address this.

13. Letters of agreement from any secondary mentors.

14. (For junior faculty applicants) Letter from Department Chair committing to limiting non-research activities to 25% time if funded, and outlining the nature of the clinical and other commitments expected within that time. This letter should also address the anticipated faculty role you will play upon completion of Phase I, and any resources or support available to help you in the transition to independent investigator.

*RMSTP Advisory Board*
Michael L. Boninger, MD Principal Investigator and Program Director, Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program Associate Dean, Medical Student Research Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine John Whyte, MD, PhD Program Director, Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program Director, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
Diana D. Cardenas, MD, MHA Professor and Chair Department of Rehabilitation Medicine University of Miami Miller School of Medicine		Leighton Chan, MD, MPH Chief, Rehabilitation Medicine Department National Institutes of Health

Dennis Matthews, MD Fischahs Chair, Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Colorado School of Medicine		Kevin M. Means, MD Associate Professor and Chair, Phyisical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Ralph Nitkin, PhD National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research		Jeffrey B. Palmer, MD Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Professor and Director, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Johns Hopkins University


*Administration* Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) 7250 Parkway Drive, Suite 130 Hanover, MD 21076 WebSite: http://www.physiatry.org Email: aap@physiatry.org Program Coordinator Mary Czerniak Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute 60 E. Township Line Road Elkins Park, PA 19027 Phone: 215-663-6592 Fax: 215-663-6113 Email: meczerni@einstein.edu

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Become Tomorrow's Rehabilitation Researcher! Join the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program

K-12 Grant Information

Become Tomorrow's Rehabilitation Researcher!
Join the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program