An essay by Caitlin Burbank, SPT a 2012-2013 Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge participant.

I got involved in research completely by accident. I was finishing pre-requisites to apply to PT school when, on a whim, I applied for a research assistant job.  I was hired on to track functional recovery of patients who had undergone nerve transfer surgeries, and through that experience was able to win a research assistant scholarship for the duration of my DPT education at Washington University in St. Louis.  I work in the Neurorehabilitation Lab, which is run by Dr. Catherine Lang and is focused on rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke.  Most of my time is spent working on the Brain Recovery Core, which is an effort to streamline the continuum of care between the acute hospital, the rehabilitation hospital, and outpatient physical therapy for these patients.  My experiences in the lab have not only convinced me that this a population I hope to work with throughout my career, but also of the importance of research in helping to determine therapeutic goals, prognosis, and functional ability in patients with stroke. I have found that  physical therapy research is imperative to furthering our profession as a whole, and making sure that physical therapists have the best possible evidence with which to make clinical decisions.

Working on the WUPT Run For Research was a great fit for me. I have always been a runner, and volunteering for this event my first year of PT school was a great way for me to support something I care about with something I love to do. Becoming the student coordinator in my second year was a daunting task—I had no experience in putting on this type of event! But even with no experience, I found that making an event like this successful is possible if you do three things:  1. Get a great committee. I had an amazing group of students in my class that worked on the event, and it cannot be done without the help of others. 2. Get started EARLY! We did most of our fundraising and planning six months before the event, and because of that had very few, “freak out moments” the week of. 3. Involve the community. We did our best to advertise outside of the Washington University community as well as within it. There are plenty of local businesses that are happy to support you and donate, but you have to get out there and ask!  The bottom line is, events like these are fun and easy to coordinate if you stay organized, and it is fulfilling to know that your school has helped contribute to the Foundation for Physical Therapy, which provides so much support to our colleagues across the country.

The Shoes4Kids program, providing underprivileged and under-served children with both brand new and brand name youth athletic footwear, will be visiting several locations in Salt Lake City, Utah during APTA’s Conference and Exposition, June 26-29, 2013. Shoes4Kids goal is to acquire 1,500 pairs of shoes and socks by June 1, 2013 to meet the needs of children in Salt Lake City. To see how you can help, click here to learn more!

The Marquette Challenge website has a new home! The new URL is: http://foundation4pt.org/get-involved/challenge

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This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Marquette Challenge!  It is a great year to be involved as we are aiming to raise $200,000 to help reach a total of $2.5 million raised in 25 years of the Marquette Challenge. Accepting the Challenge and joining efforts to raise money for the Foundation allows PT and PTA programs from around the country to work together to raise the bar in terms of quality of research and research in practice. By participating in the Challenge, PT and PTA students have the opportunity to develop professionalism, raise awareness of physical therapy, help further our profession through supporting research and evidence-based practice, and network with some of the most distinguished physical therapists in the country.

As coordinators for the Challenge, we look forward to celebrating this milestone year with you at the Foundation’s Annual Gala on Thursday, June 27, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The winners of the 2012-2013 Challenge will be announced and all participating schools will receive national recognition for the countless fundraising efforts carried out this past year. The Foundation’s Annual Gala provides a unique experience to share a mutual appreciation for the esteemed physical therapy researchers advancing our profession and the students who have contributed to the research through their funding efforts. This year we will also get to see how far we have come in the past 25 years. We cannot wait to see you there!

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• Quality research which provides the scientific basis to develop new treatments and new approaches to prevent common injuries and diseases;
• Data that identifies the most effective ways to organize, manage, and finance high quality care and to improve patient safety.

For 30 years, the Foundation has expanded clinical research by providing grants and scholarships to today’s leading and emerging researchers, clinicians, and academicians who have built the evidence that has led to major advances in so many areas – from spinal cord injuries to Parkinson’s disease.

Today, however, the profession faces a growing challenge: the need for scientific data on health services and rehabilitation practices…data that tells us what works in physical therapy, under what conditions and circumstances, and at what cost so that physical therapists are able to continually improve the quality of care to their patients.

While our support of clinical research continues, the Foundation for Physical Therapy will answer that challenge.  We are now in the planning stages of  creating a $2.5 million Request for Applications (RFA) in support of a Center of Excellence  to train  physical therapist investigators in health services/health policy research (HS/HP). The Center of Excellence (COE) for Health Services/Health Policy Research will create a new cadre of physical therapist researchers who will improve the profession’s ability to analyze the impact, costs, management, and accessibility of patient care. This initiative will change the face of physical therapy and, ultimately, the outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.

The Foundation has launched a campaign to raise $3 million to support this initiative as well as fund health services research through our internal grant and scholarship process.  The campaign was kicked off by a $1 million leadership pledge from the American Physical Therapy Association.

To learn more about this COE and future RFA, click on the links below.

We welcome your comments on this funding opportunity description through June 30, 2013. Please direct your questions or comments to info@foundation4pt.org.

Quick Links

Funding Description

COE Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have been considering joining or renewing your membership in the WPTA Legacy Society, NOW is the time!

WPTA donation form

Click here to read full press releases.