Forming partnerships

Abstract

As schools of allied health and health professions must increasingly conform to the research missions of their universities, positioning for faculty and funding resources will require creative collaborations among institutions. In 2004 Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and the Ohio State University collaborated to create the Indiana-Ohio Center for Traumatic Amputation Rehabilitation Research which received substantial funding through the Department of Defense to support a project of significant national importance. This article describes the initial vision of the project, the development of the organizational structure, and the research agenda that produced a unique model that is now generating substantial research data for dissemination. Also described are factors contributing to the success of the Center, including the emphasis on strategic partnerships and plans for sustainability and expansion of the Center as a national research enterprise.