C-STAR Collaborative Mentorship

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The Center for Smart Use of Technologies to Assess Real World Outcomes (C-STAR) is one of six national resource centers part of the Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network (MR3) of the National Institutes of Health. C-STAR was born out of a need to equip investigators with the skills and knowledge to accurately employ technologies to measure and interpret data relevant to sensorimotor and cognitive function in the lab, clinic and real world.

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Our aim is to provide junior faculty and early-career rehabilitation researchers with mentorship on career advancement from senior scientists and clinicians at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Mentees wil collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to learn clinical trial and pilot study development, advanced applications of sensors and technology, as well as measurement of outcomes in rehabilitation research. Additional guidance will be provided on grant writing and submission, allowing mentees to achieve the objective of developing their own studies and applying for extramural funding.

The Collaborative Mentorship Program includes educational support through extended teaching and learning. One of our affiliated resources is the Center for Education and Career Development at Northwestern University, which will connect our candidates to additional educational tools. The mentorship program will use a variety of outlets including virtual meetings, webinars and workshops, and offer opportunities for hands-on-training with site visits to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

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Early-career rehabilitation researchers who are seeking mentoring from senior scientists and clinicians.

As defined by NIH, "early career researchers are about to transition - or have recently moved - to fully independent positions as investigators, faculty members, clinician scientists, or scientific team leaders in industry"

Our unique and experienced Principal Investigators can offer guidance in the following areas: use of sensors and technology in rehabilitation research, outcome measurement, grant writing, guidance on funding mechanisms, implementation science, end user and clinical applicability. Additionally, there is an opportunity to consult with a clinician researcher at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab who can offer a multidisciplinary angle as well as real-world application. Learn more about the cutting-edge research model at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

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Do you need feedback on your grant application? Are you stuck on your research aims?

During this virtual session, mentoring and peer feedback will be provided for specific aims related to a grant application. Topics should include rehabilitation research using technology to measure or address real-world outcomes. Each mentee selected will get 30 minutes to share their drafted aims and receive direct feedback.

Upcoming Spring 2025 Office Hours will take place on March 4, 2-3:30pm CT on Zoom. 

The moderator is Levi Hargrove, PhD, P.Eng., C-STAR faculty mentor and Scientific Chair of The Regenstein Foundation Center for Bionic Medicine at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Dr. Hargrove is an internationally recognized leader in the development of pattern recognition-based control systems for prosthetic limbs and serves as Director of the Neural Engineering for Prosthetics and Orthotics Lab.

Dr. Hargrove’s research focuses on creating robust, intuitive control systems for prosthetic devices, including the groundbreaking “thought-controlled” bionic leg. His work integrates electromyographic (EMG) signals and mechanical sensor data to provide seamless transitions between different walking modes and intuitive control for users. Additionally, he has pioneered virtual reality-based training systems and advanced intramuscular EMG signal detection technologies.

This spring session will focus on grant applications that study or incorporate innovative engineering methods and technologies to advance rehabilitation science. 

Please fill out the form below and include a draft of your aims page and biosketch. This will help us prepare for this office hours session. Each session will be limited to 4 mentees.

Contact Bridget Fowler King at bfowler@sralab.org for more information.

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For consultation, please fill out the mentorship request form below. Our program manager, Bridget Fowler King, bfowler@sralab.org will contact you to set up an initial meeting before pairing you with a mentor for a 1:1 virtual consultation meeting.