Core Competencies
All trainees will be expected to meet a basic set of core competencies to acquire the skills, abilities, and
knowledge base necessary for conducting informative, pragmatic, and relevant health services research. Core
competencies for trainees may be met before or during the training program, but must be demonstrated prior to
completion of a two year fellowship. Our core competencies are adapted from the AHRQ core competencies
for health services research to specifically address health services research directly relevant to physical
therapy. These competencies focus on content knowledge and methodological skills; skills needed to succeed
as an independent investigator; grantsmanship; communication; administrative; and leadership skills.
Research Focus Areas
Trainees may focus their activities at one of three sites, each with a unique specialized focus, or they may craft
an individual experience that may involve activities at two or three sites. The focus areas are: analysis of
large data sets (Brown University); rehabilitation outcome measurement (Boston University); implementation
science and quality assurance research (University of Pittsburgh).
Core Competencies adapted from AHRQ Core Competencies for Health Services Research
Category
Competency
Foundational knowledge
Acquire knowledge of the context of
health and health care systems,
institutions, actors, and environment.
Demonstrate an expert knowledge
about the structure of and financing for
rehabilitation therapies
Domain/Example
 Cost & financing of health
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care
Organization of health care
Health policy
Access and use
Quality of care
Economics
Epidemiology
Psychology
Sociology
Management
 Health disparities
 Health informatics
 Outcomes and
effectiveness
 Resource allocation
Theoretical knowledge
Apply or develop theoretical and
conceptual models relevant to health
services research (HSR) in physical
therapy
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Relevant and important
HSR question
development
Pose relevant and important research
questions, evaluate them, and formulate
solutions to health problems, practice
and policy relevant to physical therapy
 Scientific method and theory
 Proposal/grant development
 Assessment of evidence
 Gap analysis
 Stakeholder analysis
Conceptual models and
operational methods
Use or develop a conceptual model to
specify study constructs for an HSR
question and develop variables that
reliably and validly measure these
constructs
 Scientific method and theory
 Measurement and variables
 Conceptual and analytic
 Causal models
 Qualitative research
 Quantitative research
Political science
Anthropology
Operations research
Demography
Rehabilitation
(empirical) models
 Development of outcome
and quality measures
Study designs
Data collection and
management methods
Research conduct
management
Describe the strengths and weaknesses
of study designs to appropriately
address specific HSR questions
 Observational vs.
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experimental designs
Survey research
Qualitative research designs
Quantitative research
designs
Mixed method designs
Sample and collect primary health and
health care data and/or assemble and
manage existing data from public and
private sources
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Survey research
Operations research
Data acquisition
Data mining
Execute and document procedures that
ensure the reproducibility of the
science, the responsible use of
 Responsible conduct of
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research
 Ethics
 Authorship
 Intervention research
 Evaluation research
 Quality improvement
 File creation and
database management
 Quality control
 Sampling
 Health informatics
 Data acquisition
 Quality control &DMBs
 Research study
management
resources, and the ethical treatment of
research subjects
Data analysis
Demonstrate proficiency in the
appropriate application of analytical
techniques to evaluate HSR questions
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Conflict of interest
Research integrity
Human subjects/IRBs
HIPAA
Contracts, MOUs, DUAs
Quantitative &qualitative
research
 Analysis of approaches for
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delivering and/or paying for
care
Economic evaluation
CEA/CBA
Statistics, biostatistics &
econometric methods
Estimation and prediction
methods
Operations research and
decision sciences
 Organizations as
subjects
 Health care law and risk
management
 Budget development
and management
 Analysis of complex
samples
 Advanced qualitative
analytic methods
 Advanced quantitative
analytic methods
 Meta-analysis
Professional
development
Work collaboratively in teams within
disciplines, across disciplines, and/or
with stakeholders
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Teamwork
Leadership
Team management
Conflict resolution
Knowledge management
Project management
 Negotiation
Communication
Effectively communicate the process,
findings, and implications of HSR
through multiple modalities with
stakeholders
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Proposal development
Dissemination
Communication skills
Marketing and persuasion
techniques
 Writing skills
 Scientific writing
 Cultural sensitivity
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge translation to policy and
practice
 Evidence based practice
 Evidence based policy
 Health marketing
 Implementation science
 Translational research