Research

Residency Research Program

In keeping with the University of Michigan’s reputation as a leading academic institution, the PM&R Resident Research Program is designed to be productive and rewarding for residents with all levels of prior research experience. Prospective residents will find the program flexible and supportive with expert faculty willing to tailor the experience to their unique interests and prior research experience.

Resident Peer-Reviewed Publications

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2013

Strengths and Features

Dual Mentorship: residents work closely with both Clinical Faculty Mentors and Research Faculty Mentors. Dual Mentorship ensures that resident research is patient-centered, methodologically sound and ready to bridge the gap from bench to bedside.

Institutional Resources: here at U of M, residents have access to powerful institutional resources, including data analytics, as well as personnel and funding to help them access data, implement research and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration.

Presentations: residents have the opportunity to present their projects at our annual Theodore Cole Resident Research Day-- and are encouraged to submit abstracts to national conferences, including AAPM&R.

Protected Time: six weeks of research are provided so that residents may focus on completing their projects away from clinical duties. These six weeks can be carved from select rotations to enable research time at the point in a project's trajectory where it would be most useful.

Departmental Research Context & History: residents work with and have access to faculty who pursue research and academic work across the range of PM&R. Our annual departmental James Rae Scientific Day features departmental research and visiting guest speaker each fall.

Leadership Opportunity: The position of Resident Research Lead is awarded annually to a senior resident who has demonstrated a special commitment to advancing the culture of resident research at U of M PM&R. The Resident Research Lead works closely with co-residents and faculty to ensure program quality, provides peer-mentoring to underclassmen and presents at least one research-based lecture during senior year.

Current Resident Research Lead (2024-25): Drs. Jonathan Heyl, Mike Haupt, & Buddy Naber
Past Resident Research Leads: Trent Hall, DO (2018-2019), Brendan McNeish, MD & Stephan Pirnie, MD, PhD (2019-2020). Stephan Pirnie, MD, PhD (2020-2021), Krishna Sarma, MD, PhD (2021-23), Nicholas Stoyles, MD (2022-2024)

Neuroscience Research Track (up to 1 resident per year)

Description

The University of Michigan PM&R Residency Program recognizes the value of rehabilitation physician-scientists in medical research. To foster the development of future PM&R physician-scientists by supporting their ongoing research engagement and career development during residency training, our Residency Program now offers a Research Track for highly qualified PM&R residency applicants with an interest in the neurosciences. It is structured to support application for and curricular integration of the NIH-NINDS’s R25-funded Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program; which provides 80% protected research time for 2.5 years (the final six months of residency, plus 2 years as a research fellow within an institution.

In addition to the standard mentored research experience provided to all UM PM&R residents, those accepted into the Neuroscience Research Track will receive a modified residency curriculum that includes the following:

Modified clinical rotation schedule to allow 6 months of dedicated research time during the second half of the PGY-4 year.
Expanded research mentorship experience designed to support physician-scientist career development activities in addition to standard research project mentorship. This includes mentored support of applications for the AAP’s Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program as well as the NIH-NINDS’s R25-funded Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program (administered through the UM Department of Neurology).

RMSTP applications will be submitted in the fall of residents’ PGY-2 year. Selected applicants will attend the RMSTP’s annual Research Career Development Workshop concurrent with the AAP’s annual meeting each spring and participate in additional career development activities concurrent with their phase of the RMSTP program.

Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program applications will be submitted in the fall of residents’ PGY-3 year, with preparatory activities including letter of intent submission and specific aims development occurring during the PGY-2 year. The NINDS R25 grant application is competitive and undergoes external (national) review. Application for this grant will be mentored and supported but receiving the award is not guaranteed. If the application is not funded, the resident will still have access to the curricular modifications and support for research associated with the research track (80% protected time for research in the final 6 months of residency). Selected applicants will begin receiving salary and project support (standard PGY4 resident salary provided through the program, plus modest funding toward research costs)during the second half of their PGY-4 year with up to two additional years of 80% supported research time post-residency (contingent on continued meeting of program requirements).

The ultimate goal of the Research Track’s career development support is submission of a competitive NIH K-award within two years of residency graduation.

Eligibility

The UM PM&R Residency’s Neuroscience Research Track is intended for highly research-motivated applicants with a strong research background who intend to pursue an academic physician-scientist career post-residency. It is anticipated that the Research Track will only be a good fit for a small percentage of all PM&R Residency applicants but will offer substantial benefits to appropriate applicants. While not a strict requirement, most applicants will possess an advanced research-related degree (e.g, Ph.D., M.P.H.) in addition to a M.D. or D.O. medical degree at the time of residency application. All applicants will be expected to have significant research experience prior to residency as demonstrated by a successful track record of research publication (i.e., multiple first-authored hypothesis-driven scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals addressing a common scientific theme), funding, fellowship training, and/or other significant research experiences/accomplishments. At this time, applicants must have demonstrated research interests that broadly align with the NIH- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke mission to ensure eligibility for the NIH-NINDS’s R25-funded Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program.

As the Research Track is further developed over time, it is anticipated that it will be made available in the future to applicants with research interests relevant to all sub-fields within PM&R.

Selection

One (1) research track position will be available in NRMP Match each year, starting in the 2025 Match cycle.

Curriculum

For the Neuroscience research track, the final six months of PGY-4 will comprise 6 months of research. This format is built to accommodate the NINDS-R25 grant, which requires 80% protected research time in the final 6 months of residency. The resident will continue to participate in ½ day didactics and ½ day continuity clinic each week (20% non-research). The 6 months of research will take the place of five clinical electives and one month of Floor Senior/Electrodiagnosis Lab.

The table below depicts the differences between the research track and our standard PM&R residency:

Table depicting curricular differences between research and standard tracks.