C-STAR Collaborative Mentorship

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The Center for Smart Use of Technologies to Assess Real World Outcomes (C-STAR) is one of six national resource centers part of the Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network (MR3) of the National Institutes of Health. C-STAR was born out of a need to equip investigators with the skills and knowledge to accurately employ technologies to measure and interpret data relevant to sensorimotor and cognitive function in the lab, clinic and real world.

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Our aim is to provide junior faculty and early-career rehabilitation researchers with mentorship on career advancement from senior scientists and clinicians at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Mentees wil collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to learn clinical trial and pilot study development, advanced applications of sensors and technology, as well as measurement of outcomes in rehabilitation research. Additional guidance will be provided on grant writing and submission, allowing mentees to achieve the objective of developing their own studies and applying for extramural funding.

The Collaborative Mentorship Program includes educational support through extended teaching and learning. One of our affiliated resources is the Center for Education and Career Development at Northwestern University, which will connect our candidates to additional educational tools. The mentorship program will use a variety of outlets including virtual meetings, webinars and workshops, and offer opportunities for hands-on-training with site visits to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

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Early-career rehabilitation researchers who are seeking mentoring from senior scientists and clinicians.

As defined by NIH, "early career researchers are about to transition - or have recently moved - to fully independent positions as investigators, faculty members, clinician scientists, or scientific team leaders in industry"

Our unique and experienced Principal Investigators can offer guidance in the following areas: use of sensors and technology in rehabilitation research, outcome measurement, grant writing, guidance on funding mechanisms, implementation science, end user and clinical applicability. Additionally, there is an opportunity to consult with a clinician researcher at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab who can offer a multidisciplinary angle as well as real-world application. Learn more about the cutting-edge research model at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

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Do you need feedback on your grant application? Are you stuck on your research aims?

During this virtual session, mentoring and peer feedback will be provided for specific aims related to a grant application. Topics should include rehabilitation research using technology to measure or address real-world outcomes. Each mentee selected will get 30 minutes to share their drafted aims and receive direct feedback.

Schedule:

Upcoming Winter 2024 office hours will take place December 17, 11 am–1 pm on Zoom. The moderator is Allen Heinemann, PhD, C-STAR mentorship faculty and director of the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he focuses on health services research, psychosocial aspects of rehabilitation, and measurement issues in rehabilitation. He is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles. 

This winter session will focus on grant applications studying or incorporating rehabilitation measurement tools and methodologies.

Please fill out the form below and include a draft of your aims page and biosketch. This will help us prepare for this office hours session. Each session will be limited to 4 mentees.

Contact Bridget Fowler King at bfowler@sralab.org for more information.

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For consultation, please fill out the mentorship request form below. Our program manager, Bridget Fowler King, bfowler@sralab.org will contact you to set up an initial meeting before pairing you with a mentor for a 1:1 virtual consultation meeting.