The Foundation supports key training, learning, and development programs like The Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR) and the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network (LeaRRn) through significant funding and resources that build research capacity in physical therapy and rehabilitation. This backing has supported training fellowships, pilot studies, and workshops that develop skilled researchers and advance evidence-based care. These initiatives help improve health care delivery and inform policy, ensuring better patient outcomes.
CoHSTAR
CoHSTAR is a multi-institutional center dedicated to advancing health services and health policy research in physical therapy. Launched in 2015, CoHSTAR represents a powerful example of research the profession collectively identified as essential to advancing physical therapy. CoHSTAR was funded by a $1 million gift from APTA, along with support from its components, physical therapists, foundations, and corporations dedicated to advancing physical therapy.
The mission of CoHSTAR is to train rehabilitation professionals in health services that informs rehabilitation practice, care delivery, and policy. This type of research is critical to demonstrating the value, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of physical therapy and influencing payment policies, health care coverage, and service delivery.
CoHSTAR provides postdoctoral fellowships, faculty fellowships, visiting scientist opportunities, summer training sessions, and funds pilot studies. For nearly a decade, CoHSTAR has supported the training of numerous researchers, generating significant publications and research presentations, helping to bridge gaps in the quality of physical therapy services, and fostering improvements through evidence-based practices.
The Foundation’s vision and funding have enabled CoHSTAR to become a hub for specialized training and research in health services, helping the physical therapy profession take a leadership role in health policy and health services research.
LeaRRn
LeaRRn is a national resource network that supports implementation science and learning health systems (LHS) research specifically focused on improving the quality, value, and outcomes of rehabilitation care. It was established as a collaborative effort among Brown University, Boston University, and the University of Pittsburgh, building on the legacy of CoHSTAR.
LeaRRn serves as a hub for collaboration among researchers and health systems, promoting rehabilitation-focused research and training the next generation of researchers to transform rehabilitation delivery and outcomes.
The Foundation provides critical funding and collaborative opportunities that enable LeaRRn to function as a national resource network advancing rehabilitation learning health systems research to improve care quality, demonstrate clinical value, and enhance patient and system outcomes.