# Research Career Scientist

> **NIH VA IK6** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Many Veterans with spinal cord injury or dysfunction (SCI/D) will require ongoing assistance with transfers after
rehabilitation. Informal caregivers, defined as those who provide unpaid support, are often responsible for
providing this assistance, however, repeated performance of this task over time has been associated with
increased risk of injuries to both caregivers and care recipients. Major improvements are needed in the way we
train and educate caregivers who need to assist Veterans in performing transfers. There is currently no
objective way to evaluate caregiver-assisted transfers, making the assessment of the techniques difficult. My
team has recently drafted a new instrument, called the Caregiver Assisted Transfer Technique Instrument
(CATT) which has been developed to provide clinicians and informal caregivers with an objective measure to
evaluate assisted transfer techniques. The CATT is designed to evaluate transfer set up, lift quality, and
results and was designed through expert input and extensive literature review. The goals of a recently funded
VA Merit Review grant will be to establish the tool’s reliability and validation against gold standard
biomechanical measures. The CATT not only provides an objective indicator for the level of risk associated
with caregiver assisted transfers but will also allow for identifying specific deficits associated with technique
and areas to target education and/or interventions.
Physical activity levels among Veterans who use wheelchairs is very low despite the importance in improving
overall physical and mental health. Wheelchair users have few exercise options particularly if they lack
volitional function of their lower extremities. They also face many barriers to exercise with the two most cited
being lack of transportation and time. In recent work my team explored the feasibility of an at home high-
intensity interval handcycling training program for persons with spinal cord injury and upper limb vibration
exercise via a medical grade dumbbell (Galileo). While the programs showed promising results, a common
theme in carrying out the research was that the participants lacked motivation to continue exercising outside of
the study and many noted that they wish they could use a Peloton bike which is not accessible to most
wheelchair users. This led me to pursue VA Merit Grant funding to build a socially connected exercise system
(ParaCycle) that is accessible to wheelchair users and provides access to commercial fitness apps with
motivating features (e.g. immersive technology, social supports, etc.) similar to the Peloton. We aim to
iteratively design and develop the device engaging input from end-users and will conduct usability testing of
the device both in the lab and at home.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863271
- **Project number:** 1IK6RX005030-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Alicia M. Koontz
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863271

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863271, Research Career Scientist (1IK6RX005030-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863271. Licensed CC0.

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