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Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Programs in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences prepare students for careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and prosthetics and orthotics. In these professions, you’ll help people recover from injuries, or design devices that improve patients’ mobility and quality of life -- the basis for a very satisfying and rewarding career.

These careers are in high demand, with jobs for physical therapists as well as employment for prosthetists and orthotists expected to grow 17 percent from 2021 to 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The mission of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is to graduate competent, ethical, and autonomous professionals who value clinical practice, relevant research, and lifelong learning.  

Physical Therapy

Students practicing skills in lab

In our direct-entry physical therapy program, students can enter as freshmen and earn a combined BS in Exercise Science/Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in six or seven years. We also offer a post-baccalaureate three-year, full-time program leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

Licensed physical therapists can advance their skills in our Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program in partnership with Hartford Healthcare Rehabilitation Network. We also offer a 12-credit Certificate in Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy that allows licensed therapists to continue their regular employment while enrolled in the program.

Prosthetics and Orthotics

Student with prosthetic leg

Our Prosthetics and Orthotics program is one of only a dozen graduate programs and a handful of undergraduate programs in the U.S.  Prosthetics and orthotics is an exciting combination of material science, engineering and health care.

Our combined BS in Health Sciences/MS in Prosthetics and Orthotics is a 5-year program. Students can enter the program as freshmen, complete an undergraduate BS in Health Sciences, and elevate into the professional Master of Science in Prosthetics & Orthotics (MSPO) program.

At the graduate level, students may enter as post-baccalaureate students in the MSPO program.  The University of Hartford also offers a distance learning program for currently certified prosthetists and orthotists, the Transitional MSPO.

Occupational Therapy

therapist helping client in kitchen

Our new Occupational Therapy program offers a combined BS in Health Sciences/MS in Occupational Therapy (BS/MSOT). This five-year program allows students to start their careers sooner. We also offer a post-baccalaureate MS in Occupational Therapy that prepares students for licensing as certified occupational therapists.

Department Faculty and Staff

Matthew Austin
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Thomas Bellama
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Jordan Bowling
Clinical Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Stephen Charry
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Duffy Felmlee
Clinical/Applied Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences; Director of Transitional Prosthetics and Orthotics Program
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Michelle Forfa
Clinical Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Mary Gannotti
Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Abby Hoffman-Finitsis
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Heather Johnson
Program Specialist
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Anne Perri Koba
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Jillian Kossbiel
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Maria Legge
Clinical Education Administrator
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Richard Liebano
Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Jennifer Lodovico-Gorack
Program Manager
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Margie Mathews
Program Specialist, Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Lindi Mitsou
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Prosthetics & Orthotics
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Vanessa O'Donnell
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy; Assistant Director of Clinical Education
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Erika Ozdemirer
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Matthew Parente
Program Director of Prosthetics and Orthotics; Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Amanda Piccoli
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy; Director of Clinical Education
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Kelly Pogemiller
Clinical/Applied Associate Professor of Physical Therapy; Director of Clinical Education
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Kristamarie Pratt
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Associate PT Program Director, Liaison to Undergraduate Pre-PT Programs
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Sarah Psillas
Program Director and Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Pete Pyzik
Education Production Manager
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Sarah Ridge
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Brian T. Swanson
Chair, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences; Program Director, Physical Therapy; Director, Certificate in Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy; Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Donna Snowdon
Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Laura Graves Wheeler
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Xin Ye
Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation Sciences

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Department Contacts:

Brian Swanson, Chair
860.768.5314
bswanson@hartford.edu

Making a difference is the ultimate reward.