Rehabilitation Medicine

Message from the Chair

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Department of Rehabilitation Medicine encompasses a broad range of activities. Through our close relationships with both the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College we have an outstanding physician staff and a growing research program.

The field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has entered an exciting time of growth and development. In the clinical realm, physiatrists have increasingly incorporated the use of spine injections to complement traditional rehabilitation techniques, musculoskeletal ultrasound is being introduced into the office setting as an aid to the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, and public awareness of the issues of traumatic brain injury has been expanded as a result of the rehabilitation needs of returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Graphic for Symposium 2010: Focus on the Young Adult Stroke Survivor CME

Moreover, the team-oriented approach that is at the core of rehabilitation medicine has resulted in enhanced collaboration with multiple other specialties within the hospital. The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian is active in these areas of clinical care, and is helping lead the way in advancing our specialty.

Educationally, our residency program competes effectively for the most qualified applicants and provides a breadth and depth of training that is exceptional. Many of our graduating residents have chosen to continue their education through fellowships and have been accepted to competitive programs throughout the country. Our alumni are active in all areas of physiatric practice and are well-represented among leaders in our field.

The physical, occupational, speech and recreation therapists within our department provide critical services to patients on our two inpatient rehabilitation units. We also serve patients hospitalized on other services within the two main hospital campuses, such as Medicine, Neurology and Surgery; and, at the Allen Pavilion and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York. We offer a wide array of outpatient specialty programs for patients with neurologic, orthopedic, cardiopulmonary, vestibular, pediatric and other disorders. We serve as a clinical training site for students participating in different training programs around the country. The Programs in Physical and Occupational Therapy at Columbia University are housed within the Columbia Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and are closely affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian.

I am honored to have the opportunity to lead NewYork-Presbyterian's Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at this exciting time and am committed to continuing and expanding its reputation for excellence in all aspects of our mission. Feel free to contact us for more information about our department.

Joel Stein, MD
Physiatrist-in-Chief
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital