Cognate Areas

Doctoral students in Physical Rehabilitation Science work choose from five specialized cognate areas that collectively advance the understanding of movement, recovery, and optimal rehabilitation strategies across diverse populations. While each cognate area provides focused training in specific research methodologies and content expertise, the true strength of the program lies in the inherent interconnections among these specializations. Students often find that their research questions naturally bridge multiple cognate areas. This interconnected approach mirrors the complexity of rehabilitation itself, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in advancing recovery and enhancing quality of life for individuals with movement disorders and disabilities. Cognate area designations provide a framework for coursework and comprehensive exam preparation while maintaining flexibility for interdisciplinary research.

Neuromotor Control and Rehabilitation

This cognate area involves neuromotor control and movement impairments across the lifespan in both healthy and impaired populations, emphasizing understanding of nervous and motor systems including nervous system damage, CNS plasticity, repair mechanisms, and motor learning principles in both human and animal models. Students master state-of-the-art research technology including motion capture systems, force platforms, electromyography, virtual reality systems, gait and balance platforms, MRI, and EEG to analyze movement and brain-body interactions. Research focuses on motor learning-based interventions, task-specific training protocols, balance and gait training programs, and neuroplasticity-promoting rehabilitation strategies. Students access cutting-edge neuroimaging facilities, motion analysis laboratories, and University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) clinical research settings, with faculty mentors supported by NIH/NIA, NIH/NINDS, NIDILRR, American Heart Association, Department of Defense, Craig Nielsen Foundation funding, and the American Physical Therapy Association.

Musculoskeletal Performance and Rehabilitation

This cognate area provides specialized training in muscle physiology, metabolism, and exercise science, focusing on investigating relationships between neuromotor control and peripheral muscle adaptation, physiological responses, and cardiometabolic benefits from exercise interventions in health and clinical populations. Students utilize imaging (ultrasound, CT and MRI), dynamometry, metabolic carts, and physiological monitoring systems. Research encompasses exercise prescription protocols, nutritional interventions for muscle health, dietary intake methodology, to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. Students benefit from access to muscle physiology laboratories, exercise testing facilities, and metabolic analysis equipment, with faculty supported by NIH/NIA, VA, NIDILRR, and the American Physical Therapy Association as well as interdisciplinary interactions through an NIH T32 Training Program in Muscle Biology located in the School of Medicine, VAMHCS Baltimore VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), local outpatient physical therapy partners, and UMMS, creating comprehensive training that bridges basic science with clinical applications.

Rehabilitation Engineering and Robotics

This cognate area focuses on developing and evaluating engineering-based assessment and intervention systems for rehabilitation. Students engage in translational research, such as sophisticated multi-joint rehabilitation robots, off-axis stepping training systems, and specialized equipment for diverse populations including stroke survivors and children with orthopedic disabilities. Students master engineering principles applied to rehabilitation science, including robotics design, assistive technology development, and clinical implementation strategies. They gain expertise in prototyping, testing, and refining rehabilitation technologies while understanding the clinical context for their applications. Students leverage established collaborations with local industry partners, bioengineering faculty at University of Maryland College Park, and clinical settings. Funding support comes from NIDILRR, NIH/NINDS, Maryland Industrial Partnerships Grants, and the Rehabilitation and Technologies Core within the UM Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, providing comprehensive resources for technological innovation.

Community-Based Rehabilitation

This cognate area examines the complex relationships between physical function, community participation, and rehabilitation service delivery in non-clinical settings. The program emphasizes field-based research addressing mobility, community access, and participation in both urban and rural environments. Students develop expertise in community mobility assessment, environmental analysis, and neighborhood-level intervention strategies. They gain skills in inter-professional practice models for community-based rehabilitation, with particular attention to aging, neurological, oncological, and multi-diagnosis conditions. Students have opportunities to engage with a network of interdisciplinary centers and partnerships, including the Center for Disability Justice, Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Community Engagement Center, while conducting research through community partnerships, field research sites, and collaborative initiatives across both the UM medical system and university system.

Rehabilitation Health Services

This cognate area develops advanced quantitative skills for analyzing healthcare systems, policy evaluation, and large-scale rehabilitation-focused epidemiological studies of populations with disabilities. The program emphasizes methodological expertise in examining patterns of rehabilitation service utilization, cost-effectiveness analysis, and health care access. Students master advanced statistical techniques including multi-level modeling and comparative effectiveness research. They develop expertise in analyzing large administrative datasets (Medicare claims, national surveys, electronic medical records) to inform policy decisions and evaluate healthcare systems. Students access faculty mentorship from leaders in policy committees with federal and foundation funding. Resources include the Institute for Clinical & Translational Research (ICTR), access to large administrative datasets, and T32 training opportunities in epidemiology and gerontology for comprehensive health services research training.