Scholarships, fellowships, and grants.

Foundation Awards $187,500 in Doctoral Scholarships

The Foundation for Physical Therapy Board of Trustees recently awarded 16 Promotion of Doctoral Studies scholarships (PODS) totaling $187,500 as part of the 2005 Doctoral Opportunities for Clinicians and Scholars (DOCS) program. "The Foundation for Physical Therapy is honored to support this year's scholarship recipients," said Foundation President Nancy T White, PT, MS, OCS. "The generosity of Foundation supporters will assist these physical therapists as they pursue research careers to advance our profession."

PODS I scholarships of $7,500 each are awarded to physical therapists who have completed at least 2 full semesters or 3 full quarters of their coursework toward a doctorate. Recipients of the 2005 PODS I scholarships are:

Shauna D Dudley-Javoroski, PT, MPT University of Iowa 

Shawn Farrokhi, PT University of Southern California 

Minna Hong, PT, MS Washington University in St Louis

Beth Marie McManus, PT, MSPT, MPH Harvard School of Public Health 

John M Popovich, Jr, PT University of Southern California

Amy L Stone, PT, DPT University of Colorado 

John D Willson, PT, MSPT University of Delaware 

Hong also is the recipient of the Barnes-Leahy Doctoral Scholarship, available to physical therapists to fund postprofessional doctoral studies in neurology. The recipient is selected from current applicants who are awarded a PODS I scholarship. The Barnes-Leahy Doctoral Scholarship is generously funded by the Neurology Endowment Fund.

PODS II scholarships of $15,000 each are awarded to physical therapists who have been formally admitted to doctoral candidacy. Recipients of the 2005 PODS II scholarships are

Stacey C Dusing, PT, MS University of North Carolina

Sara Gombatto, PT, MS Washington University in St Louis

Jill C Heathcock, PT, MPT University of Delaware

Donovan J Lott, PT, MS Washington University in St Louis

Laura C Schmitt, PT, MPT University of Delaware

Vicki M Tysseling-Mattiace, PT, MPT Northwestern University

Joanne M Wagner, PT, MS, ATC Washington University in St Louis

Jason R Wingert, PT, MPT Washington University in St Louis

Jangwhon Yoon, PT, MA New York University 

Schmitt is also the recipient of the Viva J Erickson Scholarship, available to physical therapists to fund postprofessional doctoral studies to prepare for academic leadership of physical therapy education programs. The recipient is selected from current applicants who are awarded a PODS I or PODS II scholarship.

The DOCS program is open to full-time or part-time students. Applications and guidelines for the 2006 DOCS program will be available in Fall 2005 and are due by January 16, 2006. Applications will be available on the Foundation's Web site at www.apta.org/foundation.

Profiles in Excellence

Kathleen K Mangione, PT, PhD, GCS, received a Foundation research grant in 2000. Mangione is Associate Professor at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa, and was awarded Arcadia's 2005 Christian R and Mary F Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. She also received the 2004 Distinguished Educator Award from the APTA's Section on Geriatrics. In service to APTA, Mangione served as a member of the APTA Geriatrics Council for 4 years, 2 of which she chaired the council. Mangione's efforts on APTA task forces include work for the Post-Professional Education Consensus Meeting and the Clinical Research Agenda Conference. She has also served on APTA's Advisory Panel on Research and as a member of the editorial boards for both Physical Therapy and the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. Mangione has presented seminars and given talks on her own research nationwide for the past 15 years. Her research has focused on geriatric issues, and she currently is in the final year of a National Institutes of Health grant that she considers to be a direct result of her Foundation funding.

Rebecca L Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, a Foundation Trustee and funding recipient, is Professor and Chair in the Department of Physical Therapy at Arcadia University and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Craik is well-known throughout the research community and has presented her research nationally and internationally, and her research findings appear in many prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Her federally funded research activities include physical performance in the older adult and cortical plasticity. Craik's activities within APTA have focused on promoting research among physical therapists. She has served in several positions for the Section on Research, including 2 terms as President, helping the section develop its first strategic plan. She also helped develop A Normative Model of Physical Therapist Professional Education, the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, and the Clinical Research Agenda.

Craik reviewed grants as a member of the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee and recently concluded a 6-year term as a member on its Board of Trustees. She also has worked actively with many federal funding agencies; she is a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration. She served on the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development from 1996 to 2000 and was Chair of the committee in 2000. She is currently a member of the editorial board for Physical Therapy and is Congress Editor for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Craik is APTA's 2005 Mary McMillan Lecturer, the Association's highest honor.

Kerstin M Palombaro, PT, MS, received a Foundation Mary McMillan Doctoral Scholarship in 2003. Palombaro is currently completing her doctoral course-work at Arcadia University. During PT 2005 in Boston, Palombaro gave a platform presentation entitled "Determining Meaningful Changes in Gait Speed After Hip Fracture" with Mangione and Craik.

Mangione, Craik, and Palombaro co-authored the Foundation-supported article "Can Elderly Patients Who Have Had a Hip Fracture Perform Moderate- to High-Intensity Exercise at Home?" found in this issue of Physical Therapy.

This issue also contains the article "Perturbation Training Improves Knee Kinematics and Reduces Muscle Co-contraction After Complete Unilateral Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture," which was coauthored by Foundation funding recipients Terese L Chmielewski, PT, PhD, SCS; Wendy J Hurd, PT, MS; Katherine S Rudolph, PT, PhD; and Lynn Snyder-Mackler, PT, ScD, SCS, FAPTA. Chmielewski received a Foundation PODS II Award in 2001. Hurd was awarded a Mary McMillan Doctoral Scholarship in 2002 and received a PODS I award in 2004. Rudolph was a Foundation funding recipient in 1999. Snyder-Mackler was a recipient of Foundation funding in 1999 and also served on the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee.

Foundation-Supported Studies Published in Physical Therapy

The following articles, reporting on Foundation-funded studies, can be found in this month's issue of Physical Therapy:

Can Patients Who Have Had a Hip Fracture Perform Moderate- to High-Intensity Exercise at Home?/ Mangione et al (p 727)

Perturbation Training Improves Knee Kinematics and Reduces Muscle Co-contraction After Complete Unilateral Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture/ Chmielewski et al (p 740)