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

Hot Tub Use and Low Back Pain: Request For Proposals

The Foundation for Physical Therapy is pleased to announce a new request for proposal (RFP) made possible by the National Spa and Pool Institute's Hot Tub Council. This RFP is for research evaluating the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions and the therapeutic effects of hot tub use for low back pain. Funding for this 1-year, $40,000 grant begins on January 1, 2004, and includes equipment (hot tubs, covers, chemicals, maintenance) donated by the Hot Tub Council. The principal investigator must be a licensed physical therapist and a US citizen or permanent resident. Applications are due August 15, 2003. For more information, guidelines, and an application, please visit the Foundation's Web site at www.apta.org/ Foundation.

Nominations for the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee

The Foundation for Physical Therapy is accepting nominations for new members of the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) to replace members when terms expire on December 31, 2003. You can assist the Foundation by nominating well-published physical therapist researchers who would be qualified to review applications submitted to the Foundation for postprofessional doctoral level scholarships (McMillan, PODS I and II), postdoctoral fellowships under the New Investigator Fellowship Training Initiative (NIFTI), and research grants ($40,000 for 1-year projects). Nominees must meet the criteria for SRC membership posted on the Foundation's Web site at www.apta.org/Foundation. E-mail nominations by June 30, 2003, to Lucy Dickson, Scientific Program Administrator, at [e-mail]. New members of the SRC will be selected by the Foundation's Board of Trustees in August 2003, to serve a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2004.

Recipient News from CSM

This year at the 21st Eugene Michels Researchers Forum--presented by the Section on Research on Saturday, February 15, 2003--Foundation recipients examined what the priorities for physical therapy research should be, Julie Fritz, PT, PhD, ATC, Moderator and 2002 grant recipient, Timothy Flynn, PT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT, 1996 and 2000 grant recipient, and Christopher Powers, PT, PhD, 2000 grant recipient, debated with attendees about what physical therapy's top research priority should be--to identify pathological mechanisms so that appropriate interventions can be determined, or to assess which interventions result in the best outcomes for patients with a given set of symptoms.

Foundation recipients also presented the Post-Doctoral Study Forum, held by the Section on Research on Saturday, February 15, 2003. Catherine Lang, PT, PhD, 1999 and 2000 PODS II recipient, and Gammon Earhart, PT, PhD, 1999 PODS II recipient, discussed why and how a postdoctoral fellowships hould be obtained and what to expect after receiving a fellowship.

Eighteen Foundation recipients made platform or poster presentations based on their Foundation-funded research:

   C Scott Bickel, PT, PhD, 2000 PODS I and
   2002 PODS II recipient, "Complete Spinal
   Cord Injury Increases Susceptibility to
   Isometric Contraction Induced Muscle
   Injury," with JM Slade, GA Dudley.

   John D Childs, PT, MS, MBA, OCS, CSCS,
   FAAOMPT, 2001 PODS I recipient,
   "Alterations in Lower Extremity Movement
   and Muscle Activation Patterns in
   Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis," with
   PJ Sparto, GK Fitzgerald, M Bizzini; and
   "The Relationship Between Alterations in
   Lower Extremity Movement and Muscle
   Activation Patterns in Individuals With
   Knee Osteoarthritis and Self-Report and
   Performance-Based Measures of Function
   and Disability," with JJ Irgang, PJ Sparto,
   GK Fitzgerald, M Bizzini.

   Shannon N Clifford, PT, MPT, 2002
   McMillan recipient, "Conservative Management
   of Children and Adolescents With
   Mechanical Low Back Pain: A Descriptive
   Study of Physical Examination and
   Outcome Measurement," with JM Fritz;
   and "The Clinical Presentation and
   Management of 'Psuedo'-Spondylolisthesis:
   A Case Report," with JM Fritz, M Vignovic.

   Christian C Evans, PT, MSPT, PhD, 1998
   PODS II and 2001 Grant recipient, "Can
   End-Stage Heart Failure Be Reversed With
   a Combination of Left-Ventricular Assist
   Device and Cardiac Rehab," with D
   Caddigan, A Farley, S McNamee, T
   George, P Pappas, MS Slaughter.

   G Kelley Fitzgerald, PT, PhD, OCS, 2000
   Grant recipient, "Use of a Modified High
   Intensity Neuromuscular Electrical
   Stimulation Protocol for Quadriceps
   Strength Training Following Anterior
   Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation."

   Sheryl M Flynn, PT, PhD, 1998 and 1999
   PODS II recipient, "H-reflex Modulation
   During Body Weight Supported Treadmill
   Walking in Subjects With Incomplete
   Spinal Cord Injury (I-SCI): Immediate
   Response to Treadmill Speed," with
   AL Behrman, YL Chou, C Phadke,
   C Kukulka, FJ Thompson.

   Tiffany N Frimel, PT, MPT, 2002 PODS I
   recipient, "Adaptations in Skeletal Muscle
   During Cast Immobilization and
   Reambulation in an Animal Model" and
   "Quantitative Changes in Muscle Cross
   Sectional Area after Ankle Fracture
   During Immobilization and Rehabilitation
   Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging."

   Stacy Fritz, PT, MSPT, 2001 PODS I recipient,

   "Functional Interpretation of the Berg
   Balance Test Using the Rasch Measurement
   Model," with D Kornetti, YP Chiu,
   KE Light, C Velozo; and "EMG Triggered
   Neuromuscular Stimulation as an Adjunct
   to CIMT: A Case Study," with M Malcolm,
   YP Chiu, KE Light.

   Diana N Goldstein, PT, MS, 2001
   McMillan recipient, "Functional Outcomes
   in 30 Month-Old Children Born
   Very Low Birth Weight With and Without
   White Matter Disorder."

   Wendy J Hurd, PT, 2002 McMillan recipient,
   "Data Based Interval Hitting Program
   for Collegiate Volleyball Players."

   Neva J Kirk-Sanchez, PT, PhD, 2000 PODS
   II and 2003 Grant recipient, "The
   Relationship Between Psychosocial Impairment,
   Mobility Impairment, and Activity
   Limitation in a Community-Dwelling
   Population of Older Women," with
   K Bagwell, B Doan, N Khan, T Pearson.

   Michael D Lewek, PT, MPT, 2002 PODS II
   recipient, "The Persistence of Quadriceps
   Weakness Following an Opening Wedge
   High Tibial Osteotomy," with KS Rudolph,
   L Snyder-Mackler; and "Physiological and
   Biomechanical Changes in Middle Age
   Persons as Related to Knee
   Osteoarthritis," with LC Schmitt, L Snyder-Mackler,
   KS Rudolph.

   Ryan L Mizner, PT, MPT, 2001 McMillan
   and 2002 PODS I recipient, "Neuromuscular
   Electrical Stimulation for
   Quadriceps Muscle Strengthening after
   Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case
   Series," with JE Stevens, L Snyder-Mackler;
   and "Preoperative Quadriceps
   Strength Predicts Functional Outcome
   After Total Knee Arthroplasty," with
   JE Stevens, L Snyder-Mackler.

   Noelle Moreau, PT, 2002 McMillan recipient,
   "Goal Specific Outcomes of Rectus
   Femoris Transfers in Children With
   Cerebral Palsy Based on Stance-Phase
   Characteristics."

   Susanne M Morton, PT, MSPT, 2001 PODS
   I and 2002 PODS II recipient, "Does
   Cerebellar Damage Impair Control of
   Interaction Torques During Walking over
   Obstacles?" with AJ Bastian.

   Scott K Stackhouse, PT, MSPT, 2000 PODS
   I recipient, "Electrical Stimulation for
   Strength Training of the Quadriceps
   Femoris and Triceps Surae Muscles in Two
   Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral
   Palsy," with SCK Lee, MK Schaefer,
   JJ McCarthy, BT Smith, SA Binder-Macleod.

   Christine L Wells, PT, PhD, CCS, ATC,
   2000 and 2001 PODS II recipient,
   "Cognitive Function of Lung Transplant
   Recipients," with CA Stilley.

   Jason Wilken, PT, MPT, 2002 McMillan
   recipient, "Three-Dimensional Kinematics
   of the Sit-to-stand Maneuver: Relationships
   Potentially Affecting THR Dislocation."

Foundation Forums at PT 2003

The Foundation will present two forums titled "Foundation Funding: How to Get It," from 2:30-4:30 PM, and "How Foundation Research Facilitates Follow-On Funding," 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.

In "How Foundation Research Facilitates Follow-On Funding," Foundation recipients will discuss how to use Foundation research-to secure follow-on funding from federal and private sources. Participants will gain knowledge about Foundation-supported research, its impact, and how it can facilitate receipt of follow-on funding from other funding sources. Presenters include recipients who have received follow-on funding from national agencies such as NIH and those planning to apply for such funding. Information will be presented for the first time about the Foundation-funded Clinical Research Network, PTClinResNet, including Network projects and principal investigator's plans for follow-on funding. The discussion will include a description of grant mechanisms appropriate for emerging and experienced investigators in the federal sector.