I was in a similar position to yours a decade ago (hard to believe it's been that long) ....
Some key points for maximizing the experience of the PhD- keep in mind the clinical correlates related to PM+R- feel free to PM me if you have any specific question. I would also include some of the relelvant PM+R journals in your weekly search database, just to see if any of the abstracts grab you and give you some clinical perspective on your research. I knew this made a big difference for my dissertation, and I felt like that research skill set has really helped me as a clinician
As for research residencies comparable to what exists within PM+R ....
The closest comp is something called the RMSTP program run by John Whyte and Mike Bonninger, both of whom are outstanding people. The opportunity offered is awesome, although not many people have taken advangate of the opportunity. The details can found at:
http://www.physiatry.org/Research_RMSTP_K12.cfm
If you are serious about a research career in PM+R, I would contact them now- they could probably set you up with some mentorship and possibly funding for optimizing your PhD years, and get you started on a good course into your residency training
Some residencies that have friendly environments for research include:
-NRH- as mentioned, they have the partnership with NIH, which allows for a 6 month block
-Pittsburgh- because Mike Bonninger and Gwen Sowa are there, they have, IMO, the best research support structure of any residency program in the country. UPMC is known nationally for the strength of their research training, particularly in grant writing
- Kessler, RIC, Mayo, UWashington- as is the case for most things, if there is something good to be had, the resources usually exist at these top programs. The ease of tapping into those resouces can be variable and tricky to navigate, though. In the one case I know best (at Kessler), they have a seperate research division within Kessler called KRRMEC, which is a great resource to get involved with. In that particular case, I would email Joel Delisa now and let him know what you are interested in, and see if he can help get you to meet the right people.
- Utah, Colorado- I don't know the specifics, but I know they have really good people at the top to help encourage research
- Arkansas- for someone specifically interested in aging, whether it be exercise response to aging, the aging spine, the affect of aging on muscle, preventing fall risk in the aging, or gender specific responses to the MSK system, UAMS has very tight connection between the researchers and clinician and tremendous physical infrastructure to promote resident research. If I, specifically, were looking for research opportunities as a resident, UAMS is where i would have gone, which is why I am going there as an attending
These are all, as always, just one man's opinion