December profiles of excellence. (Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants).

As the year ends, the Foundation for Physical Therapy features Carolynn Patten, PT, PhD, and 3 physical therapist researchers who have worked with her since 2001. Each has research experience in the laboratories of other Foundation recipients. The Foundation expands capacity for physical therapy research through:

* scholarship support for physical therapists enrolled in PhD programs preparing for research careers;

* fellowship support for postdoctoral training for new PhDs;

* a research grant program for emerging investigators that enables recipients to obtain preliminary evidence necessary to obtain further research funding from other funding sources; and

* indirect means--recipients of Foundation support later train and mentor developing physical therapist researchers.

This month's Profiles feature is only one example of how gifts to the Foundation continually work to support physical therapy research.

Carolynn Patten, PT, PhD, Research Health Scientist, Palo Alto Veterans Administration (VA) Rehabilitation Research Center, a Foundation doctoral scholarship recipient in 1994, 1995, and 1996, and a New Investigator Fellowship Training Initiative (NIFTI) recipient in 1998 and 1999, was awarded a $750,000 3-year grant in October 2002 from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service for "Therapeutic Effects on Neuromuscular Function in Post-Stroke Hemiparesis." This grant is related to the research funded by her NIFTI study on hemiplegia.

Patten joined the VA Palo Alto Rehabilitation Research Center in 1998, funded by a VA Rehabilitation R&D Career Development Award. The research component of the award involved studying motor unit discharge activity in individuals with poststroke hemiplegia. Her NIFTI fellowship added a significant dimension to this research, allowing the expected findings regarding the physiological impairment at the motor unit level to be related to disability at the level of movement function. The NIFTI award enabled Patten to develop preliminary data and to substantiate hypotheses that later created a practical argument and became the basis for her recently awarded project. Patten's research is important since stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) affects 2.1 million individuals in the United States annually, a third of whom have major physical disability and impairment of movement function.

Patten is also the co-principal investigator on another grant awarded from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service in January 2000, "Effects of Strength Training on Upper Extremity Function in Post Stroke Hemiplegia." This grant created the opportunity for Patten to recruit 3 physical therapist researchers who will also work with her on the recently awarded "Therapeutic Effects" grant. These researchers are:

Heather Brown, PT, MSPT, earned a bachelor's degree from University of California at Los Angeles in physiological sciences, and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Brown received the Steven J Rose Research Award at Washington University in 1997 and was acknowledged with the Outstanding Platform Presentation Award from the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section at the 2000 APTA Combined Sections Meeting. In her previous position, she worked with Michael Mueller, PT, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Washington University. A 1987 and 1991 Foundation recipient, Mueller was also on the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee and served as its chairperson from 1997 to 1999.

Sarah Northrup, PT, MPT, earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University, Medford, Mass, and a master's degree in physical therapy from the University of Delaware, Newark, Del. She previously worked in the laboratory of Stuart Binder-MacLeod, PT, PhD, Chairman and Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware. A 1989 Foundation recipient, Binder-MacLeod was a member of the Scientific Review Committee from 1997 to 2001. Northrup also brings research experience from the laboratory of Mark Rogers, PT, PhD, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill, a 1983 and 1989 Foundation recipient.

Dhari Kothari, PT, MS, earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy degree at Seth GS Medical College in India and came to the United States to pursue postprofessional studies at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Mass. Kothari received the MGH Institute's Mary Mankin Award for Best Thesis in Physical Therapy for the academic year 1999-2000. She worked with 1985 Foundation recipient David Krebs, PT, PhD, a 1985 Foundation recipient who is Professor Department of Physical Therapy MGH Institute of Health Professions and Director, Biomotion Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Above and beyond funding research projects, a significant aspect of the Foundation's mission is capacity building for physical therapy research," Patten states. "The presence of these 3 incredibly capable people in my laboratory epitomizes this goal. The Foundation has been tireless in their financial support of my research as a young investigator. But I have benefited as much from the contributions of these physical therapists who were exposed to a culture of disciplined, scientific research early in their careers." She also noted the outstanding research leadership of Mueller, Binder-MacLeod, and Krebs in the field of physical therapy.