The Army Occupational Therapy & Walter Reed Army Institute of Research West Fellowship program in Physical Rehabilitation promotes integration of evidence-based practice, applied military research, and general scholarly development. As part of the WRAIR-West OT program, fellows will have focused learning experiences to develop their clinical expertise within a military treatment facility and support active-duty operational units across Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) – home to I Corps and the 62
Airlift Wing. Moreover, OT fellows will gain valuable experience working alongside a multidisciplinary team conducting impactful scientific research aimed at enhancing the health, wellbeing, and performance capabilities of our Service Members. Specific clinical practice and research projects may include, psychological health, sleep promotion, musculoskeletal injury mitigation, physical rehabilitation, and performance optimization (see DHA Strategic Research Priorities linked below). The outcome of the fellowship is that graduates are prepared to serve as an advanced physical rehabilitation research-practitioner while also preparing fellows to sit for the American Occupational Therapy Association Board Certification in Physical Rehabilitation (BCPR) exam at the completion of the fellowship program.
Strategically located at JBLM, WA, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) – West is a forward directorate of WRAIR (Silver Springs, MD), which is the Department of Defense (DoD) flagship biomedical research facility. WRAIR-West conducts applied behavioral health and performance-based research through its rapid response capabilities and interdisciplinary, deployable research team. Specifically, the WRAIR-West team leads applied field studies in deployed, training, and home station environments to identify emerging behavioral health concerns along with tracking the prevalence of existing issues for the Force. This unit also guides potential training and intervention efforts to improve physical and psychological health and well-being throughout the Pacific region.
The WRAIR-West research mission can be broadly categorized into the following three focus areas:
WRAIR-West has historically conducted numerous operationally-relevant research efforts, including work on the Unit Manning System, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Provide Promise, Operation Joint Endeavor, Task Force Falcon, Operation Iraqi Freedom/Joint Endeavor, and Operation Enduring Freedom. WRAIR-West’s research has also supported key strategic initiatives/programs such as Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness, the Army Surgeon General’s Performance Triad, and the Army’s Ready and Resilient Campaign. WRAIR-West has a proud and robust history of working with NATO, Partnership for Peace countries, and Allies across the European Command (EUCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM), strengthening strategic partnerships in behavioral health research. WRAIR-West has successfully built key relationships with I Corps, Western Regional Medical Command, Regional Health Command-Pacific, Madigan Army Medical Center, and many of the operational units and behavioral health teams at JBLM.
Program Description & Goals: “As an Occupational Therapist (65A), you will provide direct patient care, readiness training, wellness education, and injury prevention to Soldiers. You’ll organize treatment and assist the client in achieving maximum levels of independence, using your knowledge to benefit the whole Soldier. You will maximize the abilities of Service members and their family members to develop, maintain, and/or restore healthy lifestyles” (
https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/science-medicine/physical-mental-health/65a-occupational-therapist).
WRAIR-West OT Fellows will be assigned to the Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) Student Detachment at JBLM, with WRAIR-West serving as their 1-year duty station.
Fellows will have the opportunity to work alongside Army professionals from various research and medical occupational specialties, including uniformed Research Psychologists (71F), Behavioral Health Specialists (68X), Physical Therapists (65B), and Dieticians (65C). To fulfill its mission, WRAIR-West also regularly collaborates with a variety of civilian, contracted, and unit support personnel, including research assistants/associates, strength and conditioning coaches, registered dieticians and nutritionist specialists, cognitive performance specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and athletic trainers.
Fellows will actively collaborate within WRAIR-West’s broader research network, which includes scientists and practitioners from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as subject matter experts and partner allies from industry and academic institutions across the United States and abroad. Lastly, OT Fellows at WRAIR-West will gain leadership experience from contributing to health and readiness working groups, community advisory boards, and injury control teams at JBLM.
Program Highlights:
- Independent and team-based patient care, both within military treatment facilities and as part of embedded teams within active-duty operational units.
- Personalized mentoring from an established research scientist aligned with the OT fellow’s interests, with additional support from the WRAIR-West team and broader scientific network.
- Opportunity to work with diverse military occupational specialties at a joint Army-Air Force installation in beautiful Washington state.
- Scientific skill development within our robust research portfolio, including research ethics and regulatory compliance, experimental design, construct and measure development, technical instrumentation, human subject data collection, analytics, product development, and dissemination.
- Peer-to-peer mentoring and OT working group participation with other Army professionals on site, such as leadership teams in the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) Program, Commander's Readiness and Resilient Council (CR2C), Commander's Health of the Force Council (CHoFC), Community Action Team, and the Suicide Prevention Working Group.
- Didactic and field-based curriculum aligned with military occupational medicine priorities, with additional online content delivery and alternative learning modalities.
Program Dates:
The fellowship begins on 01 September of each year and ends on 31 August the following year.
Fellowship Program Eligibility:
- Applicants must be an Army active duty commissioned officer occupational therapist and must hold active board certification and state licensure.
- Applicants must have no less than 3 or greater than 13 years of active federal commissioned service (AFCS).
- Army Military Education Level (MEL) requirement must be met for current grade.
- Applicants must have at least 12-months time on station.
- Applicants must currently meet all military readiness requirements to perform a permanent change in duty station.
Application and Selection Process:
Admission to the Army OT & WRAIR-West Fellowship program is conducted by a formal application and recruitment process. All selected applicants must be motivated and capable of becoming a post-professional Army OT undergoing rigorous academic, research, and advanced clinical preparation in adult physical rehabilitation. Qualified fellows will be admitted regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or gender. Potential applicants for the fellowship program must first apply through the Army Long Term Health Education and Training (LTHET) program to compete for one seat in the fellowship via an Army Human Resources Command (HRC) annual board.
The Army OT Graduate Education Manager (GEM) ensures the applicant meets military board eligibility published in annual military personnel (MILPER) messages and confers with the Army Occupational Therapy Consultant, HRC, and the WRAIR-West Director to ensure they meet fellowship eligibility. Applicants selected from the LTHET board are placed on assignment orders to the MAMC Student Detachment and directly report to the WRAIR-West Director, Fellowship Program Coordinator, and Co-Coordinator. Interested applicants must formally notify the Army OT GEM of their intent to apply no later than November of the preceding year. The LTHET board convenes annually in April.
There are no additional fees for applicants to apply.
This is a fully funded fellowship program where selected fellows continue to receive their full military pay benefits, leave, entitlements, and active year served concurrently towards military retirement.
Responsibilities:
The one-year fellowship program at WRAIR-West is designed to provide therapists with extensive experience from a research-practitioner perspective while also preparing fellows to sit for the AOTA Board Certification in Physical Rehabilitation (BCPR) exam at the completion of the fellowship program. Fellows are expected to spend at least 2 days/week working in the Occupational Therapy Clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center (
MAMC). Primary duties may include supporting musculoskeletal injury mitigation, upper extremity orthopedic rehabilitation, and/or the Army’s H2F Program. Additional clinical rotations or practical application requirements may emerge throughout the year as research mission needs fluctuate. The MAMC OT Chief will provide regular supervision and peer review for the clinical case load.
The remaining duty days (~3 days/week) during the program will be spent working as an Occupational Therapy Research Associate supporting WRAIR-West research efforts, including a scholarly project led by the Fellow. The scholarly project will align with DHA SRPs and support operational units at JBLM. Coursework, in the form of in-person didactic training and/or online modules, will be supported by WRAIR-West’s team as well as the Army Baylor OT program faculty. Regular touchpoints with the primary research mentor will be used to facilitate other training and professional development opportunities.
It is expected that by the end of the program, the Fellow will submit: (1) one abstract to a nationally recognized conference as a primary/first author; and (2) one scientific publication to a peer-reviewed journal. Analysis of existing datasets may be possible for the scholarly project; however, Fellows are encouraged, but not required, to collect new data if suitable within the scope of the program, aligning with DHA SRPs, adequately resourced for WRAIR-West and/or JBLM capabilities, and appropriately leveraging participant access. Other opportunities for authorship/co-authorship may be available based on the Fellow’s scientific interests and scholarly aptitude.
The WRAIR-West OT Fellowship curriculum will incorporate in-depth mentored practice, coupled with clinical caseloads in their focused area of practice that includes:
- Direct exposure to targeted evidence-based research and clinical practice
- Providing occupational therapists with an opportunity to improve and advance their clinical skills in a focused area of physical rehabilitation practice
- Increasing their future marketability as specialized therapists
Army Occupational Therapy & WRAIR-West Fellowship Program Curriculum includes:
- Research Methodology
- Research Ethics, Safety, and Clinical Considerations
- Statistics and Data Analytics
- Scientific Writing, Presentation, and Communication
- Reasoning, Decision-making, and Clinical Care Optimization
- Interpersonal Skills and Collaboration
- Professional and Leadership Development