Chair's Message
Our size and our location in one of the nation’s premiere academic medical centers give us the critical mass to provide our students, scientists and clinicians with unparalleled resources for learning, generating new knowledge, developing expert skills and building leadership talent for the globally competitive healthcare marketplace of the future.”
Jules Dewald, PhD
Chair, Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences
The Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences (PTHMS) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has played a leadership role in advancing physical therapy education, research, and clinical practice for nearly a century. Founded in 1927, our professional education program is the oldest physical therapy program in the United States and has consistently been ranked among the top programs nationally. We are currently ranked fourth by U.S. News & World Report and have maintained a position in the top 10 since rankings began.
Our mission is centered on excellence in education, the generation and dissemination of new knowledge, and the advancement of clinical care. The DPT program benefits from being embedded within a world-class academic medical center, providing our students with unparalleled access to research-active and diverse faculty, state-of-the-art educational and research facilities, and a strong network of clinical and interprofessional partnerships throughout Northwestern Medicine and the greater Chicagoland area.
PTHMS is one of approximately 30 research-intensive physical therapy educational departments in the United States. Over the past decade, our faculty have collectively secured more than $67 million in extramural grant funding, with our department as the primary grant recipient, with annual totals averaging $6.2 million since 2015 and exceeding $6.8 million in the most recent year. This strong research infrastructure enhances the depth and breadth of our curriculum, provides students with rich opportunities to engage in scientific inquiry, and supports our commitment to evidence-informed clinical practice.
Looking ahead, our strategic goal is to elevate our educational, clinical, and research programs to the very top nationally. We are committed to innovation, continuous improvement, and excellence in professional physical therapy education and movement and rehabilitation sciences. Whether you are a prospective student, investigator, collaborator, or visitor, we invite you to explore our department and join us in shaping the future of movement sciences.