Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants.

New Research to be Funded

More than 150 requests-for-proposals (RFPs) were submitted since the Foundation for Physical Therapy announced its year 2000 grant topics earlier this year. Twenty-five proposals were submitted by the August 13 deadline. The proposals were reviewed by the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee in October, and 6 were approved by the Board of Trustees. The projects will be funded for the 2000 calendar year.

G Kelley Fitzgerald, PT, PhD, OCS, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for persons with sports-related injuries," will support research exploring High Intensity Electrical Stimulation for Quadriceps Femoris Strength Training in Post-operative Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation. The grant is made possible by a donation from the Sports Physical Therapy Section of APTA.

Timothy W Flynn, PT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT, Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, US Army-Baylor University, Fort Sam Houston, Tex, will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for persons with musculoskeletal disorders," will support research exploring Identification of Patients With Acute Low Back Pain Who Respond Best to Sacroiliac Region Manipulation. This grant is made possible by a donation from the Orthopaedic Section of APTA.

James J Irrgang, PT, PhD, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for persons with musculoskeletal disorders," will support research exploring Process of Care and Outcomes in the Physical Therapy Management of Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Knee. The grant is made possible by a donation from the Orthopaedic Section of APTA.

Maura Daly Iverson, PT, ScD, Department of Physical Therapy, Simmons College, Boston, Mass, will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions," will support research exploring The Ejects of Endurance Training on Depression, Lower Extremity Strength, and Function in Elders With Chronic Low Back Pain. This grant is made possible by donations from individual annual gifts.

Kathleen K Mangione, PT, PhD, GCS, Department of Physical Therapy, Beaver College, Glenside, Pa, will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for older adults with musculoskeletal disorders," will support research exploring Physical Therapist Interventions to Optimize Physical Performance in Patients After Hip Fracture. The grant is made possible by a donation from the Orthopaedic Section of APTA and the Section on Geriatrics of APTA.

Rose Marie Rine, PT, PhD, Division of Physical Therapy, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Fla will receive a 1-year, $40,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The grant, "Effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for children," will support research exploring Examination of the Effect of Exercise on Motor Deficits in Children With Hearing Loss. The grant is made possible by a donation from the Section on Pediatrics of APTA.

McMillan Scholarship Recipients

More than 100 McMillan Doctoral Scholarship applications were requested since the Foundation announced the program last December. The scholarships are for students who have been accepted by a doctoral program and are beginning their doctoral studies. Thirty-five applications were submitted by the August 15 deadline. The applications were reviewed by the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee in October and 6 were approved by the Board of Trustees. The scholarships provide funding for the 2000 academic year.

The following physical therapists each received a $5,000 scholarship:

Kristen Engelhardt Gerlach, PT
State University of New York at Buffalo

Karen L McCulloch, PT
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jodi L Medell, PT
University of Michigan

Darcy Schwartz Reisman, PT
University of Delaware

Janet Ruhland, PT
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Glenn N Williams, PT
University of Delaware

Scholarships and Fellowships Available

The Foundation for Physical Therapy is still accepting applications for scholarships and fellowships in its Doctoral Opportunities for Clinicians and Scholars (DOCS) program for the year 2000.

There are 2 opportunities to receive scholarships under the Promotion of Doctoral Studies (PODS) program. Applicants may be either full-time or part-time students. PODS Level I scholarships support physical therapists who have completed at least 2 full semesters or three fourths of their course work toward a doctorate. Awardees can receive up to $7,500 for 1 year of study. Six PODS I scholarships were awarded in 1999.

PODS Level II scholarships support physical therapists who have been formally admitted to candidacy. Awardees can receive up to $15,000 for 1 year of study. Ten PODS II scholarships were awarded in 1999.

The New Investigator Fellowship Training Initiative (NIFTI) funds postdoctoral fellowships for physical therapists who have completed their education within the past 5 years. Awards are for $30,000 and are renewable for 1 year. Three fellowships were awarded in 1999.

To receive an application, call the Foundation at 800/873-1378, or send e-mail to [e-mail]. Applications are due to the Foundation by January 15, 2000. The Scientific Review Committee will review completed applications and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees in March. The Board of Trustees will approve funding in April, recipients will be notified in May, and monies will be disbursed to awardees in August.

This information, along with the names of the 1999 recipients, can be found on the World Wide Web by visiting http ://www. apta.org/Foundation.

Request for Research Topics

What would you like to see funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy? The Foundation welcomes suggestions for research topics for consideration in next year's request-for-proposals cycle. The Foundation grant program, initiated in 1998, awards funds for research into the effectiveness of physical therapist practice. In 1999, the Board of Trustees chose the following topics research proposals:

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for persons with musculoskeletal disorders;

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for older adults with musculoskeletal disorders;

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for children;

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapist interventions for persons with sports-related injuries; and

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapist interventions.

When submitting ideas for topics, individuals should consider the Foundation's mission. The Foundation's mission is to support the research needs of the physical therapy profession in 3 important areas:

* To create a solid platform for future clinical research;

* To assess the efficacy of physical therapy intervention; and

* To assess the effectiveness of physical therapist practice and help define best practice.

To submit a research topic for consideration, please e-mail the Foundation at [e-mail] by January 15, 2000. Please refer to this "Call for Research Topics" in the message.