Message from the Chair

Sam S. H. Wu, MD, MA, MPH, MBA                     
Chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
​Professor, Clinical Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation​

Welcome to the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Temple!

Our department was established in 1928 when Dr. Frank H. Krusen founded the first Department of Rehabilitation in the United States and possibly the world. It is designated as an academic department of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and a clinical service of Temple University Hospital.

Dr. Krusen is considered as the “founder” of the field of PM&R. For example, the highest honor in the American Academy of PM&R is The Frank H. Krusen, MD Lifetime Achievement Award.

Patients and trainees at Temple have access to our active inpatient consultation service that also supports world-class transplant, burn, and trauma units at Temple University Hospital’s main campus in Philadelphia. In addition, they have access to our extensive resources for outpatients, facilities for electrodiagnostic, ultrasound, and fluoroscopic testing and injections, and operating rooms for minimally invasive spine procedures, neuromodulation implantations, and intrathecal drug delivery systems. A well-appointed outpatient facility is also available in Fort Washington, PA.

The Department of PM&R at Temple is a major teaching center for medical students, residents, fellows, and allied health professional trainees. Our faculty is actively engaged in presenting scholarly reports at regional, national, and international meetings, publishing scholarly manuscripts and textbooks, and pursuing a variety of clinically relevant research projects. Moreover, a thermography laboratory was established in 2020 with the goal of providing a novel, objective testing method for chronic pain disorders. In addition to the medical staff, there are over 50 professional staff in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech/language pathology sections.

Our department provides evaluation and comprehensive treatment for patients with physical impairments such as:

• Amputations
• Back pain
• Balance and gait disorders
• Burns
• Chronic pain
• Cognitive deficits
• Hand and upper extremity disorders
• Head and neck cancer
• Lymphedema
• Multiple trauma
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Neurological disorders including brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke
• Solid organ transplants
• Sports injuries
• Swallow disorders
• Speech/language/voice disorders
• Wounds.

Every member of our staff has great sense of responsibility towards our patients and strives to provide an excellent experience for them. We are Temple Proud to say with confidence and enthusiasm that our patients are being treated by the very best!