Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine

The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine was founded in 1948 by Dr. Howard A. Rusk, widely known as "the father of rehabilitation medicine" for his revolutionary work in the field. Dr. Rusk's philosophy of care emphasized treating the entire person - an individual with emotional, psychological, and social needs - not just the illness or disability, an approach that still guides the Institute today.

With 174 beds, Rusk is the one of world's largest university centers for treatment and training of disabled adults and children, as well as for research in rehabilitation medicine. U.S. News & World Report has named the Rusk the top rehabilitation facility in New York State for 16 consecutive years. Rusk serves approximately 2,500 inpatients and 55,000 outpatients each year.

In 2006, the Rusk Institute combined its programs with the Rehabilitation Program at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. Rusk now offers specialty rehabilitation programs in stroke rehabilitation, medically complex rehabilitation, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, pediatric rehabilitation, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, and general rehabilitation at its primary site on 34th Street, and brain injury rehabilitation and orthopedic rehabilitation at its 17th Street location.

The Rusk Institute has also partnered with six of the New York's finest regional skilled nursing facilities, creating the new Rusk Rehabilitation Network. Now, patients requiring subacute rehabilitation can receive the same excellence in care that has long been associated with the Institute's acute inpatient rehabilitation programs.