Rehabilitation Medicine
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a comparatively new specialty, having achieved independent board status within the American Board of Medical Specialties in 1947. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, the New York Medical Center (NYMC) Department of Rehabilitation Medicine’s PM&R residency training program was established, making it one of the oldest and longest-standing PM&R programs operating today. Over the ensuing years, the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine has educated and trained countless numbers of students and residents.
PM&R physicians, also known as physiatrists, focus on restoring function and mobility in patients who have suffered accident or illness and provide care across a broad spectrum of settings both inpatient and outpatient. Physiatry offers a diverse array of clinical areas in which to subspecialize and/or focus one’s practice, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatric rehabilitation, electrodiagnostic medicine, cancer rehabilitation, occupational health, pain management, and sports medicine. Physiatrists may pursue advanced fellowship training in many of these areas and NYMC’s residency training program has an outstanding record (100 percent for the past five years) of its graduates being selected for fellowship training.
Research
The faculty in the Department work to advance knowledge through translational and transdisciplinary research designed to develop effective rehabilitative strategies to enhance functional recovery and quality of life and have been published widely. There are also opportunities for medical students and residents to collaborate with faculty on research projects, many of which have led to publication in leading journals and presentations at national conferences.
Medical Student Education
Faculty in the Department of PM&R teach during the preclinical years as part of the foundational courses Systems 4: GI/Derm/MS/Rheum.
A mandatory Hinterbuchner PM&R third-year rotation is in development for the 2025 academic year that will provide early exposure to medical students in the field in combination with NYMC’ major clinical affiliates NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan and Westchester Medical Center, as well as other clinical sites.
During the combined Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine Clerkship, third-year students explore a mixture of inpatient neurology, outpatient neurology, and inpatient rehabilitation experiences supplemented with standardized patient encounters and lectures on a range of topics that change weekly, including acute stroke treatment, epilepsy, and movement disorders.
Several electives are available to fourth-year students to expand their knowledge of the field, including introduction to physical medicine and rehabilitation and spinal cord injury and disorder.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program
The NYMC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program provides residents with the knowledge and skills needed to be competent and compassionate rehabilitation medicine specialists, prepares them for careers of lifelong learning, and demonstrates, through example, the importance of character and professionalism in the delivery of healthcare. Emphasis is placed on the importance of advocating for patients, especially the most vulnerable, with limited resources, so that every patient can receive the health care and support services they need to recover. The program actively seeks to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce of residents, faculty, therapists, rehabilitation nurses, and senior administrative staff that reflects the diverse community that we serve. Residents are also introduced to translational and transdisciplinary research to prepare those who may choose to pursue further training and careers in academic medicine.
The ACGME-accredited three-year postgraduate training program, based at major NYMC clinical affiliate NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in Manhattan, has a long and established record of preparing physicians to excel in the clinical practice of physiatry. The comprehensive program provides training in a wide range of clinical settings and a variety of specialty areas. The goal of our program is simple – to instill in each resident not only the knowledge and clinical skills they require, but also an understanding of how to lead and work as part of a team, how to provide patient care with compassion and empathy, how to prepare for lifelong learning, and how to navigate an increasingly complex system of healthcare. To achieve these goals, we are constantly reassessing our training program and adding experiences to enhance learning opportunities. We encourage our residents to think outside the box, pursue their interests, and have fun as we all learn together.
Learn more about the NYMC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program.
Meet the Team
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
New York Medical College
19 Skyline Drive, 2N-B24
(212) 423-7805
Robert Holland, M.D., M.H.A.
Catherine and Vladislav P. Hinterbuchner Professor and Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Saru Janda
Administrator
sjanda2@nymc.edu
