The Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (SHS) recently announced the beginning of a new postdoctoral program, entitled Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Research in Culturally Diverse Communities.
The postdoctoral fellowship is an Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (AART) that seeks to increase capacity among researchers who focus on individuals with IDD and their families from diverse communities. The program equips Ph.D. graduates with substantiative IDD knowledge, methodological skills, science communication, and career development support to ensure they have the capacity to conduct rigorous research in their independent program of research.
“Developing culturally relevant research and interventions to address disparities among children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities breaks cycles of fear and confusion for individuals and families,” said Sandy Magaña, professor in autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities and director of the IDD program. “Centering research on understanding the cultural context of individuals and families who care for persons with disabilities affects lives significantly, and programs like this will bring more researchers into the fold who can amplify these efforts.”
Offered through an award from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, the fellowship is a year in length offering a $65,000 stipend, health insurance stipend, and travel/professional development allowance.
“Health-centered research in social work is garnering a great deal of interest at The University of Texas at Austin, and among many of our peer schools, and this latest postdoctoral fellowship program is a strong testament to this widespread interest,” said Allan Cole, dean of SHS. “I commend the work that’s been led by Dr. Sandy Magaña, Dr. Sandra Vanegas, and the outstanding team at the Texas Center for Disability Studies to create this new program and I look forward to supporting their efforts that I am confident will demonstrate its positive impact on many people’s lives.”
As a part of this postdoctoral fellowship program, faculty members from the Dell Medical School and UT-Austin’s College of Education connect with SHS faculty and staff to offer a formal mentorship that assists fellows in over half of their time spent working. This mentorship is also paired with coursework, seminars and other career development activities prepares fellows for submitting manuscripts for publication, presenting at local and national conferences, and developing a grant proposal for submission at the end of the fellowship term.
“This immeasurable skillset building develops understanding of community living, participatory research methods, and intervention research,” said Magaña. “We’re excited by these interdisciplinary opportunities and look forward to developing excellent scholars.”