Penn Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine

Rehabilitation medicine is a specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disabilities of all types. As a rule, the physician is the team leader of a multidisciplinary group of health professional experts in particular phases of maximizing the function, quality of life and independence of each patient.

The composition of the team varies in keeping with the disability under consideration. Among the experts who may be involved are nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation professionals and recreational therapists.

As the oldest Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) department in the U.S., Penn has pioneered some of the essential rehabilitation treatments including prosthetics and orthotics, and computer-based vocational training.