History of Physiatry in the World
Dr. Frank H. Krusen is the Pioneer of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the world. Born in
1898, he established the first Department of Rehabilitation at Temple Hospital in 1928. He
coined the term Physiatry in 1938. Historically, the first residency training in Rehabilitation
Medicine was founded at the Mayo Clinic in 1936.
Moreover, Dr. Howard A. Rusk, a military internist is the Founder of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Appointed to rehabilitate airmen during World War II, Rehabilitation Medicine gained
prominence during both World Wars in the treatment of injured soldiers and laborers. He also
established the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.
In 1944, the Baruch Committee, commissioned by philanthropist Bernard Baruch, defined the
specialty as a combination of the two fields, namely Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and
Rehabilitation Medicine, and laid the framework for the acceptance of the official medical
specialty.
In 1947, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the United States was officially established,
when an independent Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was established under the
authority of the American Board of Medical Specialties. In 1949, thru Dr. Howard Rusk, the
specialty incorporated Rehabilitation Medicine, and changed its name to Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation.
