Rachel Cowan, Ph.D., who is an ad hoc member of the Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, has been selected to join the Boards’ Subcommittee on the Rehabilitation Engineering & Prosthetics/Orthotics. Her appointment as a Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) member of this Subcommittee for a four (4)-year term, begins August 1, 2022.

Dr. Cowan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. “What I value most about this opportunity is providing the scope and depth of feedback that I would value as someone who submits grants,” said Dr. Cowan.

The Board objectives are to provide for the fair and equitable selection of the most meritorious research projects for support by VA research funds and to offer advice for research program officials on program priorities and policies. The goal is to ensure that the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development program promotes functional independence and improves the quality of life for Veterans with disabilities and impairments.

Vu Nguyen, M.D., chair of the Department of UAB PM&R, knows Dr. Cowan is continuing to earn much deserved respect for her work. “I am proud to have Dr. Cowan in our department. Her energy and compassion for disability research is unmatched. Because of this, I am excited to follow her development as a national leader in rehabilitation research,” expressed Dr. Nguyen.