Historic Milestones

Our Department has been providing rehabilitative care for more than 100 years, since our founding in 1910.

1910

The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was formed

1910

Chairman, Heinrich F. Wolf, MD (Department of Physical Therapy)

1911

First inpatient bed allotted to the Department, allowing the Director to be a member of the Medical Board.

1912

A medical journal publishes our first Chair’s documented outcomes of clinical services provided within our Department.

1938

Greatly expanded rehabilitation facility opens.

1947

Chairman, William Bierman, MD 1947 (Department of Physical Medicine)

1961

The Department establishes its first Amputee Rehabilitation Clinic with the Orthopaedics Department.

1959

Chairman, Lawrence A. Wisham (Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

1966

The Department is designated as an approved Rehabilitation Center by New York State.

1966

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program is created.

1986

The Department’s first federally funded research center is created.

1986

Chairman , Kristjan T. Ragnarsson, MD (Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 1968)

1988

Lucy G. Moses Chair in Rehabilitation Medicine established; Kristian T. Ragnarsson is first incumbent.

1989

Spinal Cord Damage Clinical Research Center opens with Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association and Bronx VA; has country's only spinal cord tissue bank.

1990

The Department receives designation and funding as a spinal cord injury model system of care, the only one in New York State at that time.

2001

The Rehabilitation Center is established as a separate care center.

2010

The Rehabilitation Medicine Department celebrates its centennial; at this time, the department had 86 beds in 3 units: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), brain injury, and general rehab medicine beds.