VCU Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Welcome to VCU Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Whether you’re a practicing physiatrist, a resident physician, a medical student, an educated consumer, or a Web surfer lost on an Internet wave, you’ll find things of interest on our site … so explore away!

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University has its beginnings in the 1870s, when the pioneering former Confederate surgeon Simon Baruch, who graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in 1862, developed the field of Hydrotherapy in New York City. We became a formal department in 1952, established a Rehabilitation Unit at MCV, and settled into the 4th floor of the Egyptian Building. The department was initially funded and the Egyptian Building was renovated using funds from the philanthropist Bernard M. Baruch, in honor of his father, Simon Baruch.

I’ve been blessed to be with the department since August 1991, first as head of the Consultation Service, then as medical director and, as of July 1998, chair. The VCU Medical Center is a great place to begin a career and develop into a true academician. Our department has provided state-of-the-art PM&R academics, research and patient care for decades!

The department currently provides medical directorship to four adult inpatient Rehabilitation Units, one adult subacute rehabilitation unit, and two pediatric rehabilitation units, outpatient care at eight locations, electrodiagnostic services at five outpatient locations, consultations at five Richmond hospitals and two nursing homes. We have more than $1 million a year in grant and contract research sponsorship in areas of TBI, SCI, pulmonary, return to work and pain management, resulting in more than 20 publications and 50 presentations a year. We consistently train some of the strongest residents in the nation, and have alumni throughout the academic and private world. All these strengths combined have earned us the distinction of a U.S. News & World Report top 20 PM&R Program!

So, go ahead and check us out! Feel free to e-mail or call me if I can be of any help to you. The same is true of any of our faculty. If you’re an alumnus and would like to be included in our directory, just send us your information, and we’ll get you linked up. If you’re in another department or related field/specialty and would like to be linked to our page, just send us your information.

Keep in touch!

David X. Cifu, M.D.
Mediterranean Rehabilitationist Extraordinaire
dcifu@vcu.edu

Follow links below for more information on other VCU Departments

• VCU Department of Physical Therapy
• VCU Department of Occupational Therapy
• VCU Department of Rehabilitation Counseling
• List of VCU academic programs