Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Minnesota.

The Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) became an autonomous department at the University of Minnesota in 1952. A federal PM&R Research and Training Center was established at the University of Minnesota in 1961 and during the 1970’s and early 1980’s the department was noted as a premier PM&R national training center. The department continues in its mission of providing high quality patient care, education and research in medical rehabilitation.

I invite you to explore this website for information about our department and dedicated faculty and staff. We hope you will find this site helpful and informative.

Best wishes,
Dennis Dykstra, MD, PhD
Associate Professor & Chairman

Education & Training Programs

• Medical Student Clerkship/s

• Residency Program in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

• Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship

• Professional Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy

• Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Rehabilitation Science

Research

State of the art research is an important component in our department.  Our faculty members excel in cross-departmental collaboration and these partnerships are constructed around five core research themes:

1. Stroke Recovery

2. Musculo-skeletal Injuries

3. Postural & Motor Control

4. Muscle Adaptation

5. Outcomes of Therapeutic Intervention

In addition, we have collaborated with industry on numerous clinical trials on the use of botulinum neurotoxins in dystonia, spastic bladder and other conditions.

Clinical Services

 We provide a full spectrum of clinical rehabilitation services, including;

• Outpatient clinics at several sites

• Inpatient rehabilitation care at the Fairview Acute Rehabilitation Center

• Rehabilitation Medicine consultation services

• Neuropsychology assessments for inpatients and outpatients