Scholarships, fellowships, and grants.

Foundation Announces New Grant from Second Step Inc

The Foundation for Physical Therapy announces the availability of a research gram for physical therapists to evaluate the effectiveness of the Second Step Gait Harness System in a clinical environment. Second Step Inc is generously donating funds as well as harness systems for the research. "This grant gives us the exciting opportunity to evaluate promising equipment for physical therapy treatment. We truly appreciate Second Step's support of our mission to further physical therapy through research," said Foundation President/ Chair Nancy T White, PT, MS, OCS.

The Second Step Gait Harness System was created to provide an environment for hands on treatment, early ambulation, and "functional therapy." The system also was designed to reduce the number of hands required to support patients during transfer and maximize the use of gait training methods. "We're excited to team up with the Foundation on this project. The opportunity to further physical therapy research is exciting, and we're proud to support it," said Second Step CEO David Dubats.

McMillan and Grant Applications Due

The deadline of August 12, 2004, for applications for the 2004-2005 Mary McMillan Doctoral Scholarships is rapidly approaching. Applicants must be entering a postprofessional full-time or part-time doctoral program during the 2004-2005 academic year. This year the scholarships are generously funded by the Henry O and Florence P Kendall Fund.

Three separate research grant requests for proposals (RFPs) are available this year: to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions, funded by the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge; to evaluate the effectiveness of aquatic therapy as a physical therapy intervention, or the effectiveness of warm water therapy as an adjunct to physical therapy interventions, funded by the National Spa and Pool Institute's Hot Tub Council; and the recent Second Step addition to evaluate the effectiveness of the Second Step Gait Harness System, funded by Second Step Inc. Funding for these $40,000, 1-year grants begins on January 1, 2005. Grant proposals are due August 13, 2004.

Guidelines and applications are available on the Foundation's Web site. If you have questions, please contact Lucy Dickson, Scientific Program Administrator, at [e-mail] or at 800/999-2782, ext 8505.

Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge

The 16th Annual Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge was a great success as a record number of 51 schools raised more than $68,500. The Challenge is a grassroots fundraising effort carried out exclusively by physical therapist and physical therapist assistant students nationwide. The money raised by students goes to support the Foundation and critically important research grants to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions.

The award winning schools are:

First place: University of Pittsburgh; Mike Smoker

Second place: Rosalind Franklin University (formerly Finch University of Health Sciences); Ryan Hartley

Third place: University of Maryland, Baltimore; Daryl Arnold

Honorable mentions for those schools that raised at least $2,000 go to: Arcadia University, Boston University, Emory University, Midwestern University, University of Delaware, University of Miami, and Washington University in St Louis.

Nine schools participated for the first time this year including: College of St Catherine, East Carolina University, Eastern Washington University, Ithaca College, Loma Linda University, Nazareth College of Rochester; SUNY Upstate Medical University, University of Findlay, and the University of Hartford.

Other schools participating include: Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Central Michigan University, Concordia University Wisconsin, Creighton University, Des Moines University, Long Island University, Marquette University, Maryville University, Medical University of South Carolina, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Northern Arizona University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, Quinnipiac University, Regis University, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, St Ambrose University, St Francis University, St Louis University, Temple University, Texas Tech Health Science Center, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Evansville, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, University of Mississippi Medical Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of St Francis, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse, University of Wisconsin--Madison, Youngstown State University, and APTA's Student Assembly. Congratulations to all the students for their hard work on behalf of physical therapy research!

Special thanks also go to Challenge student coordinators Shelly Wyrick and Ryan Bertapelle, Marquette University, and Mike Smoker and Jen Doster, University of Pittsburgh. The Foundation also wishes to recognize faculty coordinators Lawrence G Pan, PT, PhD, Marquette University, and Anthony Delitto, PT, PhD, FAPTA, University of Pittsburgh, for their dedication and commitment to the Challenge.

University of Baltimore Supports the Challenge

To support the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge, the students in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, teamed up with the Maryland Chapter of the APTA to present a continuing education course, "Posture and Extensibility Testing of the Upper and Lower Extremity," by Florence P Kendall, PT, FAPTA, and William Romani, PT, PhD, ATC, SCS, Assistant Professor, to 50 participants.

UMB successfully orchestrated "The Pitt Plan," a fundraising program that originated at the University of Pittsburgh. The Pitt Plan develops continuing education courses, promotes the course to regional physical therapists and physical therapist students, then donates funds to the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge. Daryl Arnold, UMB Challenge Student Coordinator, said, "This was our first time putting on such a course for the Challenge, and having the course co-sponsored by the Department and the Maryland Chapter was integral to getting it off its feet. The students here really learned a lot and together did a great thing for the profession. The course required several months of planning and the teamwork of students from all three classes at UMB." Overall, the course raised more than $4,300 for the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge.

"What's been even more gratifying than the amount of money that was raised was the initiative and professionalism demonstrated by our students in putting together a successful program that will enable future students to continue this level of contribution to the Foundation," added Dr Romani.

Cynthia Reilly, a first-year physical therapist student, added, "I look forward to continuing this project and possibly one day having the 'Challenge' renamed to the 'Maryland-Marquette Challenge!'" The Challenge is cosponsored every year by Marquette University and the winning school from the previous year's competition.

Recipient News

James T Cavanaugh, IV, PT, PhD, NCS, a 2001 PODS I recipient, recently received his doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The topic of his dissertation was "Assessing Changes in the Regularity of Center of Pressure Time Series in Collegiate Athletes after Cerebral Concussion." He presented two portions of his dissertation at the 9th annual meeting of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society with the posters, "Effect of a Secondary Cognitive Task on the Irregularity of Center of Pressure Time Series in Healthy Young Adults," and "Response Stability" Estimates for the Sensory Organization Test: Approximate Entropy Values and Equilibrium Scores in Healthy Young Adults." He also presented another portion of his dissertation at the 51st annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine with the poster, "Detecting Altered Postural Control after Cerebral Concussion in Athletes without Postural Instability." Cavanaugh began a postdoctoral fellowship at the Durham VA Medical Center/Duke University Medical Center this spring.

Diana Nathan Goldstein, PT, MS, a 2001 McMillan recipient, recently presented a poster, "White Matter Disorder as a Risk Factor in Functional Outcomes of 30-Month-Old Children Born With Very Low Birth Weight," at the Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in Tennessee.