The Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR)
Health services research is evidence we can use.
Now in year 8, the Foundation-funded Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR) is building the evidence base to show the value of physical therapy services to patients, payers, and providers alike. CoHSTAR is funded with a 10-year Foundation for Physical Therapy Research (FPTR) grant of $3.75 million. The multi-institutional center is a collaboration between Brown University, Boston University, and University of Pittsburgh.
CoHSTAR is training physical therapist scientists in order to dramatically increase and improve physical therapy health services research capacity. CoHSTAR offers postdoctoral fellowships, hosts visiting scientists, and provides special summer training sessions. Funding for CoHSTAR was made possible with a $1 million gift from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), gifts from APTA components, and donations from physical therapists, foundations, and corporations with a shared passion for the field of physical therapy.

About CoHSTAR
Mission
CoHSTAR’s mission is to train physical therapists to conduct health services and health policy research and to expand the number of physical therapists who specialize in this research. CoHSTAR strives to increase physical therapy health services research capacity.
Objectives
- Build health services research infrastructure …to facilitate interdisciplinary health services/health policy research by physical therapist scientists
- Expand the number of physical therapist health services/health policy researchers …by training highly skilled, physical therapist health services/health policy researchers
- Increase the quantity and quality of physical therapy health services/health policy research …by supporting high quality pilot and small studies that lead to external funding and scholarship
- Build upon active and growing research programs at collaborating institutions …to build a sustainable, long-term capacity for physical therapy health services and health policy research training
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Program Information

“What CoHSTAR has been able to do in just 3 short years is so impressive. Their work will, among other things, ensure a steady pool of PT scientists who are properly trained to conduct health services research and to compete for the funding to do so.”

“CoHSTAR offers unique advanced experiences with senior health services researchers at its [trio of collaborating institutions] that have a wealth of experience in conducting pilot studies to large pragmatic clinical trials… Only a scarce number of physical therapist researchers had been involved in health services research, but over the past 4 years this has definitely changed. CoHSTAR is bringing to light the opportunities that health services research can provide to investigators.”

“Because of the paucity of physical therapy health services research, we lack evidence about effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of physical therapy. CoHSTAR will develop a cadre of physical therapy scientists who can conduct health services and health policy research to address our gaps in knowledge in these and other important areas.”