A new University physical therapy initiative is set to be founded after the awarding of a $2.5 million grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The initiative — called the Center on Health Services Training and Research — will provide funding for new studies and the training of physical therapy health services researchers. The Foundation for Physical Therapy is a collaboration among Brown, Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh aimed at training researchers to deliver optimal health care.
Health services research is important for learning how to improve health service delivery and policy, said Linda Resnik, associate professor of health services, policy and practice and director of the new center. The center — CoHSTAR — was founded with the hope of creating a supportive environment for new scientists and supplying the necessary funding for their research. Most physical therapy researchers focus their work on clinical interventions and rehabilitation science, but health services research requires a different type of training, Resnik added. The new grant will enhance this training by providing funding for four areas: post-doctoral fellowships, visiting scientists programs, summer institutes on research methods and pilot studies, she said.
The new center has already begun recruiting trainees and has selected the first three research projects to earn seed grants, according to a University press release.
The money included in the grant comes from a $1 million gift from the American Physical Therapy Association, as well as gifts from physical therapists, foundations and corporations nationwide, according to a press release from the Boston University School of Public Health.
