Unit School Of Medicine MBU Department Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Background Obtaining academic research faculty positions and research grant awards is increasingly competitive, particularly in rehabilitation where earmarked grant funding is limited. Post-doctoral fellows who receive training and develop expertise conducting secondary analyses of registry data, creating real-world interventions, designing high-quality clinical trials, and writing federal grant applications are more likely to obtain faculty positions and become independently-funded researchers.
The VCU Advanced Neurotrauma Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Center is a federally-funded research training program for health and function in people with disabilities. The Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (CERSE) in VCUs Department of PM&R leads VCU ARRT activities and is uniquely positioned with a 25-year record of achievement preparing post-doctoral fellows for successful research careers.
CERSE is a VCU-wide research center that partners with VCUHealth, Virginias primary safety net health system of care; Sheltering Arms Institute (SAI), a 114-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility; and the Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System (CVHCS), which houses one of five V.A. Polytrauma Centers of Excellence and the V.A. systems largest SCI rehabilitation program. These clinical partnerships provide ARRT fellows with access to a broad spectrum of clinician collaborators and research participants.
CERSE/ARRT faculty have 60 grants/contracts with $111M in total awards, which funds a robust scientific mentoring network and research operations infrastructure to support high-quality research fellow training. CERSE/ARRT research faculty lead the V.A.-funded Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC), a $33M, 5-year initiative. Richmond hosts the only U.S. Academic-Veterans-Civilian partnership to be awarded NIDILRR SCI and TBI Model System grants, as well as a V.A. TBI Model System grant. We have extensive long-term collaborations with Commonwealth of Virginia Agencies and Community Organizations that provide fellows with access to participatory action research collaborators who have lived experience of disability.
Description of Opportunity The VCU ARRT is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The VCU ARRT provides a rich research training experience, including the opportunity to:
The VCU ARRT provides an evidence-informed, independent development plan (IDP)-driven, multiple-mentor training environment for fellows to build the skills and record of achievement needed to obtain a research faculty position. Two ARRT fellows will train concurrently and have access to a cohort of postdoctoral research fellows and early career faculty across VCU and CVHCS.
The VCU ARRT provides a supportive research mentoring environment, including:
Program Activities The ARRT postdoctoral fellow will conduct research to develop accessible, usable, and effective clinical interventions that improve outcomes important to people with disabilities. VCU ARRT fellows co-develop an individualized development plan (IDP) with their mentors-tailored to their skill level, training needs, and goals-that lays the foundation for developing an independent line of research.
The training program includes:
A key aspect of the program is community-based participatory action research (CBPR), which is expected to inform the fellows line of research. With mentor guidance, fellows will select among CERSEs many community partners to begin collaborating on conducting research with constituent feedback and input. This ensures the fellows proposed interventions and research objectives will be highly responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.
Fellows may also pursue coursework relevant to their topic of choice and the skill-development needs identified in their individualized development plan developed with their mentors.
The primary fellowship goals are to:
VCU Postdoctoral Services offers an array of skills and career development activities/programs that can complement your activities and assist you in your future career. VCU offers career services, grant writing assistance, a Postdoc grant academy, travel and research awards, and networking events.
Mentoring Team Each Fellow will select a team of mentors to serve the multidisciplinary research and training needs of their chosen line of research. The complete list of available mentors is on the CERSE website at http://pmr.vcu.edu/research/.
Application timeline and duration The ARRT Fellowship is a two-year fellowship. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Eligibility Applicants must complete all MD or PhD graduation requirements, including dissertation defense, prior to their ARRT start date.
Qualifications Minimum Qualifications:
This is a restricted position with no set end date, and continued employment is dependent upon availability of funding. A successful candidate for the position is expected to reside in the Richmond VA area in order to develop in-person experience in intervention development and clinical trials. Hybrid-remote and flexible work arrangements are available if they do not interfere with the candidates research and training.
Salary Range Set according to NIH NRSA guidelines. As determined by the NIDILRR budget, fellows will be hired as a postdoctoral research fellow with an entry-level postdoctoral fellow salary according to the 2025 National Research Service Awards (NRSA) stipend levels (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-105.html).
Benefits All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU. Consult the benefits website for information on benefits eligibility according to employee type.
Documents Needed to Apply
FLSA Exemption Status Exempt
ORP Eligible Yes
Rank Non Faculty
Contact Information