Training in Developmental Cascades and Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (TiDeCIRR)

Cluster: Autism, Sensory Processing, and Neurodevelopment ⟩ Cluster: Brain Function, Recovery, Neurorehabilitation, and Participation ⟩ Cluster: Health Services and Health Equity ⟩

Much of pediatric rehabilitation research focuses on discrete developmental domains and isolated outcome metrics, rarely considering long-term follow-up, linked mediating processes, or transactional effects across biopsychosocial levels. Without changes to current training approaches, the next generation of pediatric rehabilitation researchers may be less prepared to advance the field’s understanding of nuanced developmental processes or to detect and intervene in a timely and appropriate manner when developmental problems occur. The Training in Developmental Cascades and Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (TiDeCIRR) program aims to address these training needs by focusing on an interdisciplinary understanding of human developmental cascades and their implications for children with and without disabilities. The developmental cascades framework (DCF) refers to the cumulative consequences and far-reaching downstream effects that result from an individual’s interactions and transactions over time across systems, levels, and domains.

Trainees in this program are predoctoral students interested in pediatrics research or methodological applications for pediatrics research, enrolled in one of two USC PhD programs—Occupational Science or Biokinesiology. In addition to completing requirements of the PhD program, trainees in this T32 program participate in seminars, mentored research experiences, and coursework designed to prepare trainees with a comprehensive knowledge of typical and atypical development and an understanding of sociocultural and environmental influences on development, alongside research ethics, research design, statistical methods, grant writing, and career development training.

We welcome applicants who have demonstrated academic excellence, research experience, and a commitment to studying child development through rigorous, interdisciplinary methods. Applicants with prior work in pediatric contexts, including clinical or research experience with children, are strongly encouraged to apply. Trainees must be U.S. citizens, green card holders, or permanent residents, and must apply to and qualify for competitive admission to either the PhD program in Occupational Science or Biokinesiology. Admission to the TiDeCIRR program is based on interest in pediatric developmental research, alignment with a TiDeCIRR mentor and program goals, and scientific promise.

Funding

Type	Source	Number	Amount	Period
Federal	NIH / Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)	T32 HD117731	$1,145,046	Jun 2026 – Apr 2031

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