NIH Releases Rehabilitation Research Plan That Provides Opportunities to Enhance Fundamental Occupational Therapy Knowledge

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released its new NIH-Wide Research Plan on Rehabilitation which will guide NIH’s rehabilitation research activities for the next 5 years. AOTA provided significant input into the development of this document, both individually and as a member of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC), and also advocated for legislation that was enacted in 2016 which led to the development of this report. The plan addresses multiple aspects of disability and rehab research, and prominently references the importance of addressing the occupational therapy–related needs of the millions of Americans who face difficulties with self-care tasks such as dressing or bathing, and skills necessary for independent living.

The NIH plan notes that the goal of rehabilitation is to “help all people achieve and maintain their full potential.”  Beth Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, FACRM, Professor and Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh, recently completed 3.5 years of service on the NIH National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research (NABMRR) and notes that “the research plan offers multiple opportunities for OT scientists through its expanded focus on community and family, and its expanded focus on OT/rehab throughout the lifespan, particularly among children and adolescents.”

Carolyn Baum, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, Professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology, and Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, notes that “the new edition of the NIH Rehabilitation Research Plan offers occupational therapy scientists opportunities to build fundamental knowledge to support the translational issues associated with daily and community life, family, and self-management.” She adds that “the profession is really fortunate to have a new generation of career scientists prepared to compete for grants to answer important questions addressed in these priorities.” 

The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) leads the effort to develop NIH’s research plan on rehabilitation in collaboration with other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. The NIH plan reports on the agency’s progress since 2016 and outlines the changes in NIH’s rehabilitation research investment, which increased to $847 million in FY 2020 from $514 million in FY 2015. Topics covered include rehabilitation across the lifespan, community and family, technology use and development, research design and methodology, translational research, and building research capacity and infrastructure. The plan also emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation research, noting that about 26% of Americans have at least one disability, with self-care tasks being difficult for 34 million Americans; 44 million Americans having a disability that impairs mobility; and cognitive disability impacting 35 million Americans. 

Contact Andy Bopp, abopp@aota.org, for more information.