Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency

Being a part of the Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation’s residency programs means training alongside a diverse group of future leaders in medicine and working with accomplished faculty whose goals are to help you succeed.

Choosing Yale School of Medicine for your Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency means choosing your family. As a 4-year program, we know this is a time when many residents experience exciting life events and understand the importance of cultivating an inclusive, family environment where residents not only have the support they need to succeed in their training, but in their day-to-day lives as well.

We collectively believe that a sense of belonging is the natural consequence of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our department has the honor of training Dr. Claudia Thomas, the first African-American woman in orthopaedic surgery. At the time of her appointment in 2019, Dr. Lisa Lattanza was among the first three female department chairs in orthopaedics nationwide. Since joining Yale, she has also worked to create an application process that evaluates all candidates evenly and fairly to find the best possible residents while eliminating as much bias as much as possible. Our longstanding DEI values are reflected in our residents and faculty today. Approximately 20 percent of our department’s residents and full-time faculty are women. Under Dr. Lattanza’s leadership, the residency programs for both PM&R and Orthopaedic Surgery are also led by women, something especially unique in the field of orthopaedics and rehabilitation.

Our goal is to educate residents in the best clinical practices, innovative research, and a fundamental focus on patient-centered care. We provide an educational environment equipped with the resources trainees need to remain inspired and become future physiatrists who lead the way to discovery. Residents will benefit from the instruction of world-renowned faculty, who represent a truly committed group of physicians from multiple subspecialties including orthopaedics, sports medicine, rheumatology, neurology, pain management and occupational medicine. Training encompasses time spent at three sites: Yale New Haven Hospital, the nearby Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Lawrence & Memorial Hospital.

In addition to patient care, our residents will participate in an 18-month curriculum cycle that serves as the foundation of our didactic education, with rotation specific modules such as an MSK ultrasound, rheumatology, workers comp, EMG and more. Our educational initiatives include journal clubs, lectures, and, opportunities to empower trainees to learn, lead, and innovate through 12 weeks of rotations dedicated to research. Select residents will also have the opportunity to choose a research track, which will include up to six months of research time.

Jennifer Hankenson, MD

Program Director

All entering PGY-1 residents are selected through the National Resident Matching Plan via the ERAS electronic application process. All complete applications are considered and the deadline for applications each year is November 1st. Applications are considered in their totality and no specific limits are established for any of the components of the application.

In accordance with the National Resident Matching Plan requirements, a copy of the contract the applicant will be expected to sign if matched to the program and the policies on visa status and eligibility for appointment are available for review (see attached Yale New Haven Hospital sample contract).

ERAS application through your Medical School Dean’s office.

• Personal statement should be no longer than one (1) page
• An ERAS formatted CV
• Three (3) or four (4) letters of recommendation, preferably from at least one (1) Physiatrist with whom you have worked
• Dean's letter
• Copy of board scores (if taken)
• Official transcript from Medical School
• One of the important missions of the Yale Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program is to provide an inclusive environment rich in diversity that nurtures and inspires future Physiatrists to lead the way in discovery and innovation in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. In less than two hundred words, tell us how your life has prepared you for that mission.

• Application deadline: November 1, 2023
• Interview dates: TBD

• 4 year program
• 4 residents per year
• Residents are given 4 weeks of vacation each year

Site: Yale New Haven Hospital

• Internal Medicine
• General Orthopaedics
• Rheumatology
• General Rehabilitation
• Elective/Research

Rotation Sites: Yale New Haven Hospital, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Lawrence and Memorial Hospital

• General Rehabilitation
• Wound, Ostomy, Continence
• Musculoskeletal
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Neurosurgery
• Electromyography
• Consult Service
• Pediatric Rehab

Rotation Sites: Yale New Haven Hospital, Veterans Affairs Medical Center

• General Rehabilitation
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Musculoskeletal
• Electromyography
• Pain Clinic
• Sports Medicine
• Pediatric Rehab
• Consult Service
• Geriatric Rehabilitation
• Elective/Research

Site: Yale New Haven Hospital

• General Rehabilitation
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Musculoskeletal
• Electromyography
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Pain Clinic
• Consult Service
• Sports Medicine
• Elective/Research
• General Orthopaedics

Didactic courses begin PGY-1/Intern year

• Spinal Cord Injury
• MSK Theory and Hands-On Course
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Orthopaedics
• Wellness Retreat
• Mock Oral II
• Ultrasound Basics and Practice
• Neuromuscular
• Mixed Topics
• Prescription Writing Practice
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Pediatrics
• Cardiopulmonary
• Research
• Spasticity
• Strokes
• Mock Orals
• Ethics and Finances
• Chronic MSK/Pain, Arthritis

• Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation – Monthly PM&R Grand Rounds
• Electrodiagnosis Conference Lecture Series – Monthly (Multidisciplinary)

Residents are on call in the PGY-1 year during their Internal Medicine and General Orthopaedics rotations. Calls will be limited to home calls during the PGY-2 through PGY-4 years.