Welcome

Welcome to the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Minnesota. The program was established in 1997 to provide a high quality post-professional educational experience to train future rehabilitation scientists who meet the growing demand for scientists and faculty in physical and occupational therapy program. From its inception, the program’s philosophy has been to provide students with (1) a strong foundation in research methodology, (2) a concentrated educational experience specifically tailored toward a student’s specific research questions in rehabilitation science, and (3) a working knowledge of the importance of a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to the scientific process.

The scientific basis of rehabilitation practice is at an important crossroad in health care. As the economics of health care has become increasingly stringent, third party payers are more and more restricting therapy to limited time frames and, furthermore, reimbursing providers only for therapy with scientific evidence. In this climate of medical cost containment, scientifically based and specifically targeted approaches are critical to maximize conservative treatment effectiveness and minimize progression of dysfunction. To meet these challenges requires that future translational research be directed to rigorously evaluate current methods and theoretical bases of practice and to develop new and innovative methods of practice based on sound scientific principles. It is therefore a goal of the Rehabilitation Science Program to train students for research careers as scientists investigating the basic mechanisms and treatment approaches to rehabilitation science practice.

The University of Minnesota Academic Health Science Center offers the student a rich environment for pursuing advanced studies.  Students have unique opportunities to work in a variety of research laboratories with faculty who have drawn upon diverse resources of the University and who have established collaborative relationships with a broad range of University faculty with similar research interests.  Opportunities exist for participation in multidisciplinary seminars, journal clubs and other interdisciplinary forums offered by departments and programs within the University of Minnesota.

We hope you take a moment and explore our website for further information on this exciting field.

Sincerely,
Carl G. Kukulka PT, PhD
Director of Graduate Studies
Program in Rehabilitation Science