Fellows Program

I-MDRC Fellows

The International Motor Development Consortium (I-MDRC) Fellows Program was established in 2021. The Fellows program represents a distinguished group of researchers who have made significant scientific contributions to the field of motor development.

The broad objective of the I-MDRC Fellows program is to:

recognize professional achievement and research excellence in the field of motor development and
recognize the contribution of professional members to I-MDRC.

Requirements for I-MDRC Fellow status include nomination from a current Fellow (primary nominator) and two additional letters of support from current Fellows. The nominator is responsible for submission of the formal application materials. The I-MDRC Fellows program will also include a class of “Lifetime Career Fellows” who have had at least 25 years of academic experience and have contributed significantly to the field of motor development over the course of their career.

Considerations for I-MDRC Fellow include:

A) Distinguished and continued scholarship and leadership typically over a period of at least 15 years as indicated by post-terminal degree and/or scholarly career to include the following:

1) Demonstrate evidence of significant and distinguished scholarly contributions to, and impact on, the field of motor development through the study and application of motor development research (e.g., peer-reviewed, refereed journal articles; books; invited papers; invited national and international keynote presentations).

2) Demonstrate evidence of active and continued engagement along with distinguished and sustained leadership activities in I-MDRC and other motor development-related professional and research societies/associations, including but not limited to elected offices, committee chairs, task force leaders, journal editor roles and grant proposal reviewers, involvement in governance, administration, and organization of I-MDRC.

B) Completion of formal application materials (described in detail below) by the Primary Nominator and two Fellow letters of support, all of whom must be current Fellows.

C) Professional Membership in I-MDRC for at least 5 consecutive years from the date of the consortium official membership start date (2018).

D) Participation in at least three Assemblies (national or international), two within the last five years.

Considerations for I-MDRC Lifetime Career Fellow include:

A) Distinguished and continued scholarship and leadership typically over a period of at least 25 years post-terminal degree to include the following:

2) Demonstrate evidence of engagement along with distinguished and sustained leadership activities in I-MDRC and other motor development-related professional and research societies/associations, including but not limited to elected offices, committee chairs, task force leaders, journal editor roles and grant proposal reviewers, involvement in governance, administration, and organization of I-MDRC.

B) Completion of formal application materials (described in detail below) by the Primary Nominator and two Fellow letters of support, all of whom must be current Fellows.

I-MDRC Fellow and Lifetime Career Fellow Nomination Process

The nomination process consists of the following procedures:

1. Nomination by existing Fellows - In order to be nominated to become an I-MDRC Fellow or a Lifetime Career Fellow the candidate must be nominated by an existing Fellow and in addition must have letters of support from 2 additional existing Fellows.

2. Cover Page - The primary nominator is responsible for compiling a complete nomination package. This will consist of a cover page that provides full contact information for the I-MDRC Fellow nominee, the nominator and two letters of reference. The Primary Nominator must sign the nomination form. Only complete applications will be reviewed. The Cover Page Template can be found here

3. Personal Statement by Nominee (optional for Lifetime Career Fellows): On the second page, the nominee will provide a one-page (single-spaced) personal statement of the nominee’s scholarship and leadership contributions to motor development and specifically to I-MDRC. This should focus on the criteria for I-MDRC Fellows and include a clear statement that verifies the nominee’s commitment to participate in I-MDRC meetings and work in furthering the goals of the Consortium.

4. Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae – Provide a copy of the nominee’s professional CV.

5. Nominator Recommendation - The Primary Nominator will provide a description of the qualifications of the Nominee, which should include:

Nominee’s Contributions to Scholarship of Motor Development. This section should focus on significant and distinguished contributions to and impact on the field of motor development including professional literature through the study and/or application of motor development research (e.g., peer-reviewed, refereed journal articles; books; invited papers; invited national and international keynote presentations). Throughout the narrative, please be sure to clarify and highlight activities within the discipline of motor development and I-MDRC. The statement should be a maximum of 2000 words.
Nominee’s Leadership Activities in Motor Development and I-MDRC. This section includes active and continued engagement and distinguished leadership activities in I-MDRC and other motor development-related professional and research societies/associations, including but not limited to; elected offices, committee chairs, task force leaders, journal editor roles and grant proposal reviewers, involvement in governance, administration, organization of I-MDRC. Throughout the narrative, please clarify and highlight activities within the discipline of motor development and I-MDRC. The statement should be a maximum of 2000 words.

6. Two Letters of Support from Fellows: - Include two letters of support from existing Fellow addressing contributions to the scholarly and/or professional literature and leadership activities to I-MDRC and motor development (no more than 3000 words per letter).

I-MRC Fellows Must Maintain Fellow Status

All I-MDRC Fellows must maintain Fellow status by paying the annual Professional Membership dues. Fellowship is not just another membership category, but a way to further demonstrate commitment to I-MDRC and the field of motor development. If any Fellow membership is delinquent without any extenuating reasons (e.g., ill health, financial hardship, etc.) for more than one year we will adhere to the following courses of action:

Up to one year of lapsed membership - send dues payment;
One to two years of lapsed membership - send a letter requesting reinstatement, plus one-year dues payment

At three years of lapsed membership – Fellow status is revoked and a candidate must be re-nominated.

Inaugural Fellows

Jane Clark, University of Maryland, USA

Lisa Barnett, Deakin University, Australia

Nancy Getchell, University of Delaware, USA

Jackie Goodway, The Ohio State University, USA

Matthieu Lenoir, Ghent University, Belgium

Leah Robinson, University of Michigan, USA

Luís Paulo Rodrigues, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Portugal

David Stodden, University of South Carolina, USA

Jill Whitall, University of Maryland, USA