Mount Sinai ARRT in Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Research - Over five million people live with traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related disability in the U.S, yet empirically supported strategies for long-term health optimization and management are lacking. Research needed to inform the development of TBI care models that improve long-term outcomes remains underdeveloped, and existing data resources, advanced statistical methods, and psychometric tools are underutilized. Results of research are not always shared with the audiences best positioned to amplify their impact. Our program addresses these gaps by providing cross-disciplinary training in advanced quantitative and mixed methods, implementation science, meaningful involvement of community partners and people with TBI, and communication strategies to translate knowledge to broad audiences. We will support the next generation of researchers to accelerate rigorous, impactful research and improve care to optimize long-term health and function after brain injury. The proposed Mount Sinai ARRT fellowship was developed to align with NIDILRR's 2024-2028 Long Range Plan (LRP)1 and the Rehabilitation Act.2 Housed in a world-renowned center for brain injury research and care, the Mount Sinai ARRT embodies the interdisciplinary approach characteristic of rehabilitation research. Our unique training model pairs fellows with clinical and quantitative doctoral degrees to permit organic exchange of complementary perspectives while receiving individually tailored, structured training to expand beyond discipline-specific graduate training. Fellow projects are developed and implemented with feedback from an Advisory Board comprised primarily of individuals with brain injury and representatives of community organizations. The Mount Sinai ARRT training model intentionally facilitates research that is both clinically relevant and methodologically rigorous. Based in empirically supported methods for research capacity building and informed by the outputs and successes of the current funded ARRT program (2022-2027), our proposed program will: (1) Proactively recruit highly qualified scholars, building on our established successful recruitment methods to ensure ARRT fellows include people with disabilities; (2) Develop individualized training plans in collaboration with a multidisciplinary, multi-tiered team of mentors, supplementing core training with tailored didactics, advanced coursework, and individual and collaborative research; (3) Provide a structured program of mentorship, independent research, community-based participatory research methods, and didactic and applied training. Core didactics include seminars in rehabilitation research methodology, clinical care, knowledge translation, implementation science, and modules on community engagement, science communication, and health policy in partnership with the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) and Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). (4) Conduct ongoing program evaluation to ensure goals are met; (5) Work alongside community members to conduct and share rigorous, high impact research that aligns with the priorities of those we intend to serve. Supported by an accomplished team of Mentors and Advisory Board members with a wide range of disciplinary training and disability backgrounds, outcomes of the proposed ARRT program will include: (1) Train 4 Fellows; (2) Identify and address research gaps to improve health and function following brain injury; (3) Partner with individuals and community organizations to optimize the relevance and impact of fellows' research; (4) Share products (training/mentorship materials, knowledge translation) with the community; and (5) Build capacity for high-impact research to improve health and function following brain injury.
