Scholarships, fellowships, and grants. (Foundation for Physical Therapy).

Research Grant and McMillan Applications Available

Requests for proposals (RFPs) for 1-year $40,000 research grants are now available on the following topics:

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for older adults. Made possible by the Foundation's Section on Geriatrics Endowment Fund.

* Evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions. Made possible by student fundraising efforts in the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge.

An additional RFP will be available for a 1-year $40,000 grant on the following topic:

* Using physical therapy interventions to evaluate the therapeutic effects of hot tub use on low back pain. Made possible by the National Spa and Pool Institute's Hot Tub Council.

Grant proposals must be received by August 15, 2003. Funding will begin on January 1, 2004.

Applications for the $5,000 Mary McMillan Doctoral Scholarships are now available for licensed physical therapists who are full- or part-time doctoral students who have not completed 2 full semesters of course work before September 1, 2003. For helpful tips on completing a McMillan application, direct your Web browser to www.apta.org/Foundation/Useful_Information/List_of_Characteristics. Applications are due by August 14, 2003. Guidelines and applications for the McMillan scholarships and all grant funding are available on the Foundation's Web site at www.apta.org/ Foundation/applications_online.

Profiles of Excellence

One indicator of success as a researcher is the recipt of federal funding. This month we focus on 2 outstanding physical therapist researchers who have recently been awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first is Kathleen Kline Mangione, PT, PhD, GCS, who has just received a $I00,000 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute on Aging (NIA). This award is a direct extension of her Foundation grant. The second, Katherine Rudolph, PT, PhD, is currently a Principal Investigator on a $1.8 million project that began in February 2002 and on another $450,000 grant that will end this year.

Kathleen Kline Mangione, PT, PhD, GCS, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pa, a 2000 Foundation Grant recipient, was recently awarded a 2-year, $100,000 exploratory grant from NIH/NICHD/ NIA as principal investigator for a project titled, "Effect of Leg Strengthening Exercise After Hip Fracture." The purpose of this project is to examine the effectiveness of high-intensity strengthening exercise used in the home setting for patients who sustain hip fracture by comparing high-intensity strength training to a sham exercise in a sample of elderly people 6 months after hip fracture.

Mangione, who serves as Chair of APTA's Advisory Panel on Research, is also an investigator on a 2-year, $200,000 grant from NIH/NICHD titled, "Timing and Intensity of Strengthening After Hip Fracture," awarded to principal investigator Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, a Foundation Trustee. This project began in October 2002 and evaluates the intensity and timing of an exercise program to reduce the level of disability after hip fracture and documents the standard of care in selected areas. The primary aim is to determine whether walking speed is different among people who receive different intensities of lower-extremity exercise delivered at different times after fracture.

When asked about the opportunities her Foundation funding has offered her, Mangione stated, "My Foundation grant has allowed me to form collaborative agreements with other senior researchers in hip fracture. The collaborative efforts of epidemiologists with physical therapists will hopefully contribute to understanding the effects of physical therapy after hip fracture."

Katherine Rudolph, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Del, a 1997 Foundation Doctoral Research Award recipient, is the principal investigator on a 5-year, $1.8 million grant rifled, "Knee Alignment and the Progression of Osteoarthritis." This is 1 of 4 projects as part of a 5-year, $6.4 million grant awarded by the NIH in February 2002 to the University of Delaware as a Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) for its work in osteoarthritis, specifically related to treatment and prevention. The project on which Rudolph serves as principal investigator examines the effect of skeletal alignment on factors that are known to contribute to the progression of knee osteoarthritis. The overall goal of this project is to determine whether anatomic realignment of the tibiofemoral joint in those with moderate genu varus deformity allows for changes in muscle strength, knee joint laxity, knee joint instability and proprioception compatible with halting the progression of knee osteoarthritis. The overall goal of this project is to determine if surgical procedures to straighten the knee joint in those with bowleggedness allows changes in muscle strength and knee stability that might slow down or stop the progression of osteoarthritis.

Rudolph is also the principal investigator of a 3-year, $450,000 exploratory grant from the NIH, "Smart Fluid Devices for Physical Rehabilitation." This project is developing a lightweight, portable, variable resistance exercise device for use in muscle strengthening in rehabilitation. The long-term objective of the project was to develop a device that will be appropriate for strengthening many muscle groups.

She is also currently working as an investigator on a 3-year, $275,000 Norwegian Research Grant with principal investigator May Arna Risberg, PT, PhD, titled "The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Rehabilitation on Propioception, Muscle Activation Pattern and Timing of Quadriceps and Hamstrings Muscles: A Prospective, Randomized, Clinical Trial." The aim of this project is to determine the effect of a neuromuscular training program versus a traditional strength training program following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and to evaluate the significance of proprioception and neuromuscular control in relation to patient outcomes and knee performance tests.

Regarding her Foundation awards that led to her participation in these studies, Rudolph says, "Obtaining Foundation funding during the late stage of my PhD work allowed me to focus all of my efforts on my academic endeavors, including publishing manuscripts. Having manuscripts published early in my academic career was very helpful in obtaining NIH grants that fund my current research work."

Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge Deadline

The deadline for contributions to the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge is drawing near. Now is the time to have your fundraisers! For ideas please refer to the Challenge handbook.

The Medical University of South Carolina was the first school to donate to the Challenge: will you be next? The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga did a unique fundraiser by partnering with a local restaurant to donate a percentage of an evening's proceeds.

The 14th annual student-led Challenge raises money for physical therapy research funding that provides 1-year $40,000 grants for projects to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions. Donations for the Challenge must be received no later than April 30, 2003, and must be made payable to the Foundation for Physical Therapy. For more information on the Challenge, please contact student coordinators, Ann Getz ([e-mail]) or Melissa Lauffer ([e-mail]).

Learn More About Foundation Funding

The Foundation will present 2 forums titled "Foundation Funding: How to Get It" from 2:30-4:30 PM, and "Foundation Funding: Where It Goes" from 4:30-6:00 PM, on Friday June 20, at PT 2003 in Washington, DC. The Foundation's Scientific Review Committee (SRC) and recipients of Foundation scholarships, fellowships, and grants will host the Forums. In "Foundation Funding: How to Get It," members of the SRC will offer advice and helpful tips on applying for Foundation funding.

For the first time, the "Foundation Funding: Where It Goes" forum will present information about the Clinical Research Network. Funding recipients will also discuss their projects to help participants gain an understanding about research activities and how they may lead to changes in clinical practice. For further information on both forums, please see: ww.apta.org/Foundation/ Useful_Information/Professional_Issues_Forum.