Project summary
There is a dire need for training early career clinicians and researchers with innovative research
methodologies and research tools to make new discoveries and technological advances for
effective diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of human brain disorders. The overall goal of this
summer research training program entitled “Neuromotor Skill Advancement for Post
baccalaureates or NSAP” at the University of Houston IUCRC BRAIN Center is to provide
didactic and hands-on activities focusing on the development of highly specialized and highly
sought-after technical skills to study the brain with the intention to complement and enhance the
training of therapists, clinical and research fellows, and orthotists and prosthetists from a diverse
community for neurorehabilitation and neuroengineering research with the goals of improving
health and well-being of children and adults and meeting the nation’s biomedical, behavioral
and clinical research needs using emergent technologies. Trainees will be recruited nationally
through announcements and advertisements sent to organizations for groups that are
underrepresented in clinical and biomedical research. A group of 10 trainees in the science,
bioengineering, neuroscience, or medical fields at the post baccalaureate level will be recruited
to participate over 10 weeks in the summer months in workshops and seminars, didactic work,
and immersive collaborative and personalized research experiences. The proposed
collaboration with experts at Texas Medical Center (TMC) institutions, including Texas Woman’s
University, the University of Texas Medical Branch and TIRR Memorial Hermann, and the
faculty from the NSF BRAIN Center at the University of Houston leverages unique facilities,
extensive expertise and mentoring experience to provide state-of-the-art training in
neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and neurorehabilitation engineering. In addition, our NSAP
faculty mentors represent the workforce in the fields of neurorehabilitation and
neuroengineering.
MPI: Jose L. Contreras-Vidal, PhD
MPI: Pranav J. Parikh, MBBS, PhD
Other faculty mentors:
Stacey L. Gorniak, PhD
Shih-Chiao Tseng, PT, PhD
Jinsook Roh, PhD
Charles S. Layne, PhD
Luca Pollonini, PhD
Christina Bickley, PT, PhD, BOCO, C/NDT
Shuo-Hsiu Chang, PT, MS, PhD
Gerard E. Francisco, MD
NIH R25 Research Training Grant (NICHD)
Total Budget: $812,800 (includes 8% IDC)
Project duration: 5 years (10 weeks training program every summer)