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Student Trainee Eligibility

Student trainees are occupational and physical therapy graduate professional students (MOT, MSOT, OTD, DPT) who identify with one or more of the following groups currently underrepresented in biomedical science:

• Persons from selected racial or ethnic groups (i.e., African American, Black, Hispanic, Latin American, Indigenous to the US including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) (https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/diversity-matters/underrepresented-groups) 

• Persons with disabilities (those with a physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities) (https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/diversity-matters/individuals-with-disabilities)

• Persons from disadvantaged backgrounds (defined by two or more: experience with homelessness, foster care or first-generation college completion; eligibility for a federal Pell grant or one or more federal assistance programs (free or reduced lunch, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)); or grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file).  (https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/diversity-matters/disadvantaged-backgrounds)

 

[Note. Although NIH also includes women as an underrepresented group in biomedical science, women are well-represented among rehabilitation clinician scientists and therefore not specified here.]

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Student Trainee Application

The following will be components of the TiDe Student Trainee Application:

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• A brief demographic and contact information form

• A personal statement (template guide is available here) that clearly addresses each of the following:​

  1. Please describe your career goals, as it relates to rehabilitation research. (Maximum of 2,000 characters)

  2. What do you hope to learn from the TiDe program and how will you apply that to your career? (Maximum of 2,000 characters)

  3. Please describe why you are interested in rehabilitation research and what are the specific research topics you are interested in exploring? (Maximum of 2,000 characters)

  4. Please describe your commitment to or lived experience with, inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. (Maximum of 2,000 characters)

• Letter of support from a faculty member with good knowledge of your interest in and capacity for a career in research. Letter of support to be collected via the online application system.

• Acknowledgement from your academic program director acknowledging support for your 2-year commitment to TiDe, participation in all TiDe training activities, and in-person attendance at the TiDe Annual Workshop held in the summer each year.  (Travel support provided by the TiDe program.)

• An unofficial academic transcript of undergraduate and graduate coursework

• A copy of your resume

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Student Trainee Expectations 

Student trainees are required to commit to active participation in the TiDe program for 2 years, with an anticipated commitment of 5 – 10 hours per month on average (some months being less, and other months being more). TiDe program education and training requires:

• in-person attendance at the TiDe Annual Workshop held in the summer each year (travel support provided by the TiDe program)

• development and execution of research and mentoring activities outlined in dyad development plan in partnership with faculty trainee and executive committee liaison

• completion of quarterly webinar activities (pre-recorded lectures with reflection questions) and pod discussions (web conference calls scheduled to suit the members of the pod)

• submission of quarterly progress reports, and attendance at progress report meetings, as needed

 

Student trainees may complete their occupational therapy or physical therapy graduate professional training prior to the completion of the TiDe program. In those instances, TiDe leadership requests that the student trainee commit to finishing the remainder of the TiDe program after graduation. TiDe leadership will work with the faculty trainee and student trainee to tailor the dyad development plan to ensure that all requirements of the TiDe program are completed.

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