AQUATIC PHYSICAL THERAPY SECTION

AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION

SWIMEX SPORTS AND ORTHOPEDIC RESEARCH GRANT

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

*Available to Aquatic Physical Therapy Section Members only*

(Developed June 2006)

Purpose

One clinical research grant award of $5,000 is available to Aquatic Physical Therapy Section members to assist with a one-year research study that investigates a question or questions of importance to rehabilitation of sports or orthopedic injuries utilizing aquatic physical therapy. The purpose of this award is to provide funding to assist physical therapist investigators and to encourage research that will add to the body of knowledge related to the improvement of aquatic physical therapy. This award can support post-professional thesis or dissertation research.

Deadline
The due date for submission is January 12, 2008. If the monies are not awarded after the January submission reviews, then the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section will initiate another call for applications. Calls for submission are routinely advertised in The Aquatic Physical Therapy Journal and on the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section’s web site at www.aquaticpt.org

Application Process

To be eligible for review, an application must be sent in electronic format, either by e-mail dated by January 12 or by mailing a disk postmarked by January 12. If January 12^th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a national holiday, then proposals must be e-mailed or postmarked by the first working day after the due date. To ensure that the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section has received the copies of the proposals, applicants may send an e-mail request or a stamped self-addressed postcard or envelope for return upon receipt by the Section’s Executive Office.

To apply, send two electronic copies of the proposal, one with identifying information (author names, place or research, etc.) and one with all identifying information blacked out (do not just change the font color), to the Aquatic Physical Therapy Sections’ Executive Office:

Aquatic Physical Therapy Section
Executive Office

7400 East Arapahoe Road #211
Centennial, Colorado 80112

aquaticpt@assnoffice.com

Questions
Any questions concerning the application or the process may be sent to the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section Director of Research as listed on the Section’s Web site at www.aquaticpt.org “About Us” section or directly at http://www.aquaticpt.org/aboutus/aboutus.htm.

Format for Proposal

All forms are available in electronic format at www.aquaticpt.org. Include enough information to allow the reviewers to evaluate the proposal, but be concise. The ability to present your proposal clearly and succinctly will be considered by the reviewers to be an indication of your ability to have a focused approach to your research questions and your ability to successfully complete this project. Use the American Medical Association’s writing and format guidelines. The proposal should include the Cover Sheets and sections described below.

The Research Plan should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages (12 point type or larger), excluding references. Please include page numbers. Applicants should submit a research proposal that includes:

Research Plan (not to exceed 10 pages)

1) Specific Aims of the study

i. State the purpose of the research describing concisely what the project is intended to accomplish. Include research questions and/or hypotheses that will be addressed. 1-2 pages are recommended.

2) Background and Significance

i. Summarize background information that directly relates to the

purpose of the study. Cite previously published work that relates to your study. Indicate how your proposal is different in design, methods, or subjects. Clearly indicate how the results of your study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge and the practice of aquatic physical therapy. Do not exceed 3 pages.

3) Preliminary Studies (optional)

i. Summarize the results of pilot studies or previous publications or

unpublished studies that have been carried out by the principal investigator that directly relate to the proposed study.

4) Research Design and Methods

Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include:

i. The number, age range, gender and health status of subjects that

will be studied. Comment on the feasibility of obtaining the desired number of subjects.

ii. Instrumentation and methods of measurement.

iii. Procedures that will be used and potential limitations of proposed procedures.

iv. Data analysis and how results will be interpreted. Describe how each variable to be studied will be treated in the statistical analysis.

v. Human Subjects. Provide official written documentation that approval for the proposed study has been granted by the Institutional Review Board of the institution of the principal investigator. (Either a hospital or a university IRB committee must review the proposal to assure ethics and standards for protection of human subjects.) If approval has not been received at the time of the proposal submission, indicate when a response is expected. Funds will not be granted without final written approval from an IRB committee.

vi. Study timeline

5) References

i. List in order of citation according to Guidelines for Instructions to

Authors in The Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy. Single-space reference list.

Dissemination of Results

Describe how the results of the study will be shared with aquatic physical therapy colleagues. Grant awardees are encouraged to submit abstracts at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting and manuscripts to The Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy.

The principal investigator will also send a final report to the Director of Research, c/o Aquatic Physical Therapy Section, no later than 18 months after funds have been released. Reprints of manuscripts published from the project will also be sent to the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section. Investigators should acknowledge support from the Aquatic Physical Therapy Section of the APTA and SwimEx in any presentations or manuscripts.

Budget and Justification

The Aquatic Physical Therapy Section will fund this project for 12 months. Funds can be requested only for costs necessary to conduct the study. These include personnel, equipment, supplies and travel of the investigators or subjects associated with data collection. Complete the attached Budget Form and provide a justification on a separate sheet that explains how all costs were established and why the expense is necessary. The Section will not pay overhead or indirect costs. Expenses related to project dissemination are not allowed. This grant award will be made directly to the principle investigator unless the principle investigator designates an institution as the payee.

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