A new fellowship from the University of Pittsburgh’s Rehabilitation Science and Technology Department seeks to support post-doctoral clinicians interested in both assistive technology research and practice.
In a July 12 news announcement, the university said the new program — known as Career Advancement in Assistive Technology Practice, Research & Policy (CAT-PReP) — will be funded by a five-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. The Co-Directors are Mark Schmeler, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, Vice Chair for Education & Training; and Dan Ding, Ph.D., Vice Chair for Research.
The program “aims to improve the capacity of clinicians with research skills to advance evidence-based practice and to inform equitable policies for access to assistive technology devices and services to further support people with disabilities for community living and participation,” according to the announcement.
“Other than pursuing a Ph.D.,” Schmeler added, “most clinicians get very little training on how to do research, especially studies that are meaningful to inform practice and policy. This fellowship is geared to immersing clinicians in a service where research is integrated alongside practice.”
Ding said in the announcement, “Traditional post-doc fellowships tend to support those who recently completed a Ph.D. to further advance their research skills and prepare for academic careers. The merging of practice with research for people with clinical doctorates is a novel strategy in our field and will improve future research capacity within the clinic.”
CAT-PReP Requirements & Applications
Up to five fellowships, lasting 24 months each, will be awarded, and the announcement said “ideal” candidates would have terminal doctorates “in a clinical field such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, medicine, or rehabilitation engineering, and a vested interest in advancing their clinical and research skills in an area of assistive technology at the Center for Assistive Technology within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.”
The fellowship pays an annual salary of $55,000 with benefits, and those chosen for the program will be supported by an advisory committee to include a primary research mentor, a clinical mentor, and a community provider mentor “in the specific area that aligns with their interests.”
The CAT-PReP Web site notes that access to assistive technology for people with disabilities “is often limited by several factors, including restrictive coverage policies, shortage of assistive technology practitioners, limited research evidence to support the benefits of AT, as well as few trained interdisciplinary clinical investigators to perform research.
“As the number of people with disabilities continues to rise, and healthcare policies drive care into the home and community, assistive technology will become increasingly significant. The objective of CAT-PReP is to increase the number of rigorously trained rehabilitation clinicians to become competitive and scientifically productive researchers specializing in assistive technology provision and policy for community living and participation.”
