By Erin Jester
The University of Florida’s Neuromuscular Plasticity Training Program held its 20th annual symposium March 27 and 28, bringing together former and current trainees, students from multiple UF colleges and leaders in the field of rehabilitation science.
The format was the same as many before it — elevator speech-type research presentations, plenary talks and a contest for the best research posters — but with an added air of excitement surrounding the longevity and uniqueness of the National Institutes of Health grant-funded program that aims to prime UF doctoral students to become the rehabilitation research innovators of tomorrow.
“When our program started, it was completely unique,” said David Fuller, Ph.D., associate dean for research in UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions and a professor of physical therapy. “It was a leader in the space for how to run a training program and how to develop one.”
The training program was initially funded in 2003 by a T32 grant through NIH’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, written by Krista Vandenborne, Ph.D. soon after she became chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. Fuller took over as principal investigator in 2017.
“It was clear that there was a critical gap in rehabilitation research, and we urgently needed to build research capacity in this area at the University of Florida,” Vandenborne said. “The program was designed to create a new generation of scientists who are not only proficient in basic scientific research but also have an understanding of clinical rehabilitation practices. By integrating training from both worlds, the program aimed to generate innovative research that could directly inform and improve rehabilitation strategies for individuals with neuromuscular impairments. It also aimed to promote the translation of scientific discoveries into practical therapies.”
The T32 training program consists of coursework, monthly career development sessions and weekly summertime meetings where trainees can practice giving scientific seminars and get feedback from peers and faculty. Trainees work with a faculty mentor and translational research advisor to create an individualized career development plan upon entry into NMPT.
Last year, NIH renewed NMPT’s T32 a fourth time, funding the program through 2029. To Fuller’s knowledge, it’s the longest continually funded rehabilitation T32 ever.
Interdisciplinary training is a main feature of the program. Students from clinical and basic science are paired to understand how their research intersects and spend time as a group learning from each other. Trainees also receive a small research stipend.
Three other institutions now have similar programs: the University of Kansas Medical Center, Washington University in St. Louis, and Northwestern University. Each of them sends trainees to UF’s symposium.
The NMPT Symposium is also sponsored in part by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-funded Breathing Research and Therapeutics (BREATHE) T32 Training Program founded in 2017 by Gordon Mitchell, Ph.D., a neuroscience professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and McKnight Brain Institute. The two training programs collaborate closely.
Since 2003, NMPT has admitted 54 Ph.D. students, including the seven current trainees, and many have gone on to be leaders in their field, Fuller said. Of the graduates, three-quarters now work in academic and clinical research, and the others are in industry or governmental research. The program boasts a graduation rate of 98% and trainees average five peer-reviewed publications before graduation.
Several former trainees are now UF faculty members, including Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, Ph.D., a research associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. She was an NMPT trainee from 2008 to 2013, researching upper extremity and respiratory outcomes following spinal cord injury under Fuller’s mentorship.
“The thing I found most unique was the mentorship that was provided by people who were not just my direct mentors,” she said. “It felt like a lot of people were invested in our success and contributed to making sure that we had all the resources and skills needed to be successful.”
Elizabeth Evans, a third-year rehabilitation science Ph.D. student, examines how the social determinants of health and cumulative life stress influences differences in stroke outcomes under the mentorship of Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Chair Charles Ellis, Ph.D. Evans said the program challenged her to consider her research questions from a translational perspective.
“Presenting my research at the symposium as well as Neuro Nines over the years also provided me the opportunity to practice dissemination of my research to an audience with diverse research backgrounds,” she said, referencing the weekly summertime presentation sessions. “These experiences required me to learn how to communicate with varying disciplines and emphasized the importance, but also challenges, of interdisciplinary research.”
NMPT will shortly welcome its first “grandchild.” Jill Hayes, a rehabilitation science Ph.D. student, will join the training program under the mentorship of physical therapy clinical professor Joel Bialosky, Ph.D., who was a trainee in NMPT’s third cohort.
Hayes, a second-year rehabilitation science Ph.D. student who practiced orthopedic physical therapy for several years before deciding to get involved in research, will enter the training program in August.
“What I hope to gain, and what I know I will gain out of the T32 is formulating my identity as a researcher. That’s what the NIH is putting money out for,” she said. “I’m going to learn a lot more than I would have otherwise. I know I’ll come out a much stronger researcher.”
Most NMPT trainees come from PHHP, but not all – the College of Medicine, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the College of Health and Human Performance also house Ph.D. students whose work is related to rehabilitation and neuromuscular plasticity.
“There’s a real camaraderie that develops, and the trainees get to know people they wouldn’t have otherwise. Some Ph.D. students do not get the chance to develop a strong network during graduate school,” Fuller said. “The T32 program brings together a pool of 10 or more trainees to routinely meet to discuss science and exchange ideas. That’s a real perk.”
During the symposium’s opening event on Thursday evening, 13 researchers presented their findings in three-minute bites, followed by a two-minute question-and-answer session.
Presenters were UF Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows, plus four visiting scholars from NMPT’s three partner institutions.
Friday opened with research presentations from Vandenborne and Randy Trumbower, Ph.D., an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation in Harvard Medical School.
Before speaking about his work exploring the therapeutic benefits of intermittent hypoxia to boost motor recovery after spinal injury, Trumbower praised the training program and its uniqueness.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see what a special environment you’re in while you’re in it,” he said. “I so wish I had this while I was a student in training.”
Vandenborne’s presentation on MRI biomarkers in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy received a standing ovation from the crowd of about 200 people.
Following her presentation, organizers surprised Vandenborne with flowers and a video of former trainees sharing messages of gratitude for her mentorship and congratulations on the success of the program.
“I am really proud to see how the program has grown,” she said. “There are very few places that create a better training environment.”