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The NATA Research and Education Foundation announces funding available to support research grant proposals designed to produce clinical outcomes research in athletic training.  In a collaborative effort, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the NATA Research and Education Foundation have dedicated funds for this initiative.  The direct costs over the study period must not exceed $250,000.  All proposals will be submitted to the NATA Research and Education Foundation. 

Background
Evidence-based medicine and practice have garnered considerable attention in the medical field in the last decade.  Evidence-based medicine is defined as “the integration of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values to make clinical decisions.” An important component of evidence-based medicine and practice is outcomes research, which seeks to understand the end results of particular health care practices and interventions.  For clinicians and patients, outcomes research provides evidence about benefits, risks, and results of preventative, diagnostic, and treatment interventions so they can make more informed decisions.  For health care managers and purchasers, outcomes research can identify potentially effective strategies they can implement to ameliorate the quality and value of practical strategies to improve care, thereby fostering faster recovery as well as reducing complications and health care costs.  Through assessing interventions with patient-oriented outcome measures, evidence-based outcomes research has become the key to developing better ways to monitor and improve the quality of patient care.

Presently there is a limited body of clinical outcomes, comparative effectiveness, and cost analysis research that has been conducted related to care provided by certified athletic trainers and athletic training-specific interventions.  There is currently an urgent need for athletic training clinical outcomes, comparative effectiveness, and cost analysis research conducted in a systematic and directed manner.  The lack of this type of research hampers efforts to establish the value of athletic training services for our patients and assist athletic trainers in providing the most effective evidence-based care.  In addition, future efforts for reimbursement for athletic training services may be difficult or impossible to achieve and the profession’s reputation as a leader in the health care field may be jeopardized without the ability to objectively demonstrate the value of athletic training services.

Objectives
The objectives of this RFP have been specifically developed to support the NATA Vision Quest initiative. The NATA Foundation encourages submission of high-quality research proposals focused on systematically examining patient-oriented clinical outcomes of care provided by certified athletic trainers; comparative effectiveness of athletic training interventions; and cost analysis of athletic training services.  Proposals should focus on the results of athletic training services and may involve the assessment of at least one of the following:  a) patient-oriented clinical outcomes for patients receiving athletic training services in school-based (e.g., secondary or collegiate) or other clinical settings (e.g., hospitals, outpatient clinics), b) comparative effectiveness of athletic training interventions (e.g., assessment of patient-oriented outcomes from various treatment approaches), and c) cost analyses of athletic training services. Proposals should focus on patient-oriented outcomes that are clinically relevant (e.g., return to activity, pain, function, health-related quality of life, etc.) instead of disease or impairment-oriented measures.

Preference will be given to proposals that incorporate patient-oriented clinical outcomes, address problems or conditions commonly treated by certified athletic trainers, and advance efforts to obtain recognition of athletic training to ensure the results will have the greatest impact on, and relevance to, the athletic training profession.  The ultimate goal of this research initiative is to examine the clinical outcomes, comparative effectiveness, and cost of care (e.g., value and cost effectiveness) effectiveness of care provided by athletic trainers to persons of all ages.

Procedure
Pre-Proposal Submission – The NATA Foundation requires that investigators interested in submitting a grant application to the NATA Foundation first submit a “pre-proposal”. The purpose of the pre-proposal is to optimize the time invested by investigators and the NATA Foundation Research Committee in writing and reviewing grant proposals. The pre-proposal will allow the NATA Foundation Research Committee to evaluate whether or not the proposed research project is consistent with the goals of this initiative and of sufficient interest to the NATA Foundation Research Committee.  The Research Committee will evaluate the pre-proposal for subject matter (topic and hypotheses) and for research design/methodology, and alignment with the objectives of the Outcomes Grant RFP and the NATA Foundation’s research priorities. Based upon this evaluation, the Research Committee will either invite the submission of a full proposal or indicate that the proposed project is not of interest to the NATA Foundation.  An invitation to submit a full proposal does not imply a commitment to funding.  It does indicate that the topic is of potential interest and that the general research design appeared reasonable, and that the research appears aligned with the Outcomes Grant RFP and NATA Foundation’s research priorities.  A pre-proposal may be submitted at any time.  Pre-proposals must be submitted online.  For instructions, go to the ‘Research Programs’ tab on the NATA Research and Education Foundation website.

Full Proposal Submission – Following approval of the pre-proposal submission, a full proposal may be submitted. Submission deadlines for full proposals are February 15 for that calendar year.  Proposals will be reviewed in April and funding announcements will be made in July of that calendar year.  Any commitment to funding may occur only after a detailed review of the full proposal by the NATA Foundation Research Committee and formal approval by the NATA Foundation Board of Directors. For instructions and guidelines regarding submission of the full proposal, go to the ‘Research Programs’ tab on the NATA Foundation website.  http://www.natafoundation.org/research
 

Two errors occurred in the emailed version of the 12/13/11 NATA Foundation eBlast Newsletter.  The link from the emailed version was mistakenly linked to the May 29, 2011 edition.  We also had the incorrect listing for the Master's Oral Award Recipient of the Free Communications Program Winners.  This should have had Candace Leach listed as the recipient.  We apologize for these errors and the inconvenience they may have caused.

The link to the corrected version of the 12/13/11 of the NATA Foundation eBlast Newsletter is http://at.uwa.edu/nataref/ebref12-13-11.htm.

The Foundation Free Communications Program Award Recipients for 2011 are as follows:

• Doctoral Oral Winner
  Hayley M. Ericksen, MS, ATC, University of Toledo, "Cortical Excitability of the Quadriceps is Decreased in Individuals with Unilateral Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions"

• Doctoral Poster Winner
  Rebecca L. Scanlon-Begalle, MS, ATC, CSCS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Sagittal Plane Ankle Motion Affects Frontal and Transverse Plane Motion at the Knee and Hip during a Jump-Landing"

• Master's Oral Winner
  Candace Leach, ATC, A. T. Still University, "Baseline Self-Report Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life in High School Athletes Differ with Prior Concussion History and Sex"

• Master's Poster Winner
  Masafumi Terada, ATC, University of Toledo, "An Examination of Proximal Tibia Anterior Shear Force and Neuromuscular and Biomechanical Characteristics in the Lower Extremity during a Vertical Stop-Jump in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability"  (Research Funded by 2009 Master's Research Grant Program)

• Undergraduate Poster Winner
  Lyndsey Ingram, University of Central Arkansas, "Reliability and Validity of Measuring Scapular Upward Rotation using an Electrical Inclinometer"
   

Your NATA Foundation Board held a conference call on 12/12/11.  The highlights of actions taken on this call are below:

1. Approved the minutes for the 10/24/11 conference call as presented.
2. Approved the Proposed 2012 NATA Foundation Budget as presented.
3. Approved the election of Directors and Officers as nominated.
4. Approved funding for the General Grant recommended by the Research Committee from the August 15, 2011 General Grant Cycle.
5. Approved the recipients of the 2011 Research Awards as recommended by the Research Committee.
6. Approved the Advancing Outcomes of Care in Athletic Training Request for Proposals.

Mark your calendar with these important dates and deadlines for 2011-2012.

• Dec. 31, 2011 NATA Membership Renewal Deadline
• Jan. 23, 2012 Deadline for beginning NATA Foundation Scholarship Application process
• Feb. 6, 2012 NATA Foundation Scholarship Applications for 2012 due
• Feb. 15, 2012 General Research Grant applications due. Pre-Proposal Submission Form required
• Feb. 15, 2012 Annual Doctoral Grant Applications due
• Feb. 15, 2012 Annual Master’s Grant Applications due
• Apr. 30, 2012 Athletic Training Student Challenge Contributions due
• June 26-29, 2012 NATA Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia, St. Louis, MO

NATA Research & Education Foundation
2952 Stemmons
Dallas, TX  75247
214.637.6282
www.natafoundation.org