Providing Evidence We Can Use & Expanding Health Services Research Capacity

CoHSTAR continues to train physical therapist scientists to improve health services research capacity and keep up with the evolving demands of patient care and payment.

Support from donors has allowed CoHSTAR to extend the Foundation’s model of supporting doctoral trainees. By targeting early career faculty and training researchers in the health services discipline, CoHSTAR has successfully eased the transition from PhD completion to independent investigator.

Physical therapist researcher Sean Rundell, PT, DPT, PhD, is one of the few CoHSTAR researchers to both receive a Pilot Award and join on as a Faculty Fellow. As part of the Pilot Study Program, Rundell was able to develop his study, “Developing a Prognostic Model for Risk Adjustment in Patients with Back Pain,” into a full scale research grant application and apply for external funding. During his Faculty Fellowship experience, Rundell was able to work with Foundation Scientific Review Committee member and former FPTR-funding recipient Kristin Archer, PT, DPT, PhD, at Vanderbilt University, to gain insight into implementing and collecting data for a large spine surgery registry.

Through the pilot study and fellowship programs, CoHSTAR offers an immersive mentorship experience at its collaborating institutions. CoHSTAR trains researchers in grant writing and promotes necessary skilled needed to become a successful independent investigator. Researchers are not only able to develop high-quality research proposals, but also network and forge lasting relationships with faculty members and other CoHSTAR funding awardees.