Therapy Residency and Fellowship Programs

The University of Chicago Medicine Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is a 12-month, post-professional training experience designed to advance clinical competence in orthopaedic physical therapy. The program provides an immersive professional development opportunity through didactic education, mentored clinical practice, independent patient care, and scholarly engagement.

The curriculum emphasizes the development of advanced clinical reasoning, psychomotor proficiency, and evidence-based decision making to enhance the resident’s ability to evaluate and treat individuals with orthopaedic conditions using current research evidence and clinical expertise. The program prepares residents to advance orthopaedic practice and pursue board certification as Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).

Residents are mentored by core faculty who are Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists (OCS) and/or Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT). Each resident receives a minimum of 150 hours of 1:1 mentoring, including at least four hours of scheduled mentoring per week across new patient evaluations and return sessions. Residents work with multiple mentors in a rotational model to gain exposure to diverse clinical perspectives.

Program experiences include focused in-person didactic coursework, clinical mentoring, participation in departmental performance-improvement or research initiatives, critical appraisal of the literature, and case-study or evidence-synthesis projects. Residents also have opportunities for specialty observation within the University of Chicago Medicine system. Core coursework includes nine orthopaedic physical therapy modules covering the major joint regions of the body, along with specialty sessions in Clinical Reasoning, Research, Radiology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Nutrition, Pain Science, Pharmacology, and Psychology of Pain.

The University of Chicago Medicine serves a socially, economically, and racially diverse patient population on the South Side of Chicago. The residency emphasizes culturally competent, patient-centered care, preparing graduates to serve as leaders and advocates within both the healthcare and academic communities.

Roy Horton PT, DPT
Program Director, Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Program
Site Clinical Coordinator of Education, Outpatient Therapy Services
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists
Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist

The University of Chicago Medicine
Hyde Park Campus: 860 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637
Beverly Campus: 2304 W. 95th St., Chicago, IL 60643
Email: roy.horton@uchicagomedicine.org
Phone: 773-702-6891
Fax: 773-795-2555

The University of Chicago Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency Program received its initial accreditation in 2001 and has graduated 13 graduates who all now have their PCS. The program is an intensive, year-long educational opportunity structured to facilitate the clinical development of physical therapists in the management of pediatric patients a variety of settings. The residents will be mentored by experienced physiscall therapists, who are all board certified in pediatric physical therapy and have extensive experience. We use a multi-modal teaching approach throughout the year which includes clinical practice, didactic content, structured mentoring, and various evidence based experiences to develop clinical growth. We serve a socially, economically, and racially diverse patient population on the south side of Chicago and emphasize culturally competent care.

Catherine Kennedy, PT, DPT, MS
Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist 
Program Director of Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency Program

UChicago Medicine
5841 S. Maryland Ave. | Rm. W107, MC1081 | Chicago, IL 60637
Email: catherine.kennedy@uchicagomedicine.org 
Phone: 773-702-6891
Fax: 773-702-5340

The University of Chicago Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency is a comprehensive program structured to facilitate the clinical development of physical therapists in the management of the medically complex hospitalized patient. Physical therapists who are board certified in cardiovascular and pulmonary, geriatrics, oncology, or burns (BT-C) mentor the resident throughout the year. The core faculty members have a combined 82 years of experience. The residency includes focused in-person didactics, multiple hours of 1:1 mentoring a week, participation in departmental performance improvement or research projects, critical appraisal of the literature and case study presentations, and opportunities for both clinical and classroom teaching. The resident is immersed in inter-professional care. The modules include general medicine, neurology/neurosurgery, trauma, general surgery, wound and burns, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopedics, and oncology, with correlating ICU exposure. We serve a socially, economically, and racially diverse patient population on the south side of Chicago and emphasize culturally competent care. The residency will prepare the graduate to apply for early opportunities for career ladder advancement as well for an eventual ABPTS recognized clinical specialty exam.

Lauren Miller, PT DPT
Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy
Program Coordinator for Inpatient Physical Therapy Professional Development
Program Director of the Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program

UChicago Medicine
5841 S. Maryland Ave. | Rm. W107, MC1081 | Chicago, IL 60637
Email: lauren.miller@uchicagomedicine.org 
Phone: 773-795-7291
Fax: 773-702-5340

The University of Chicago Acute Care Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program is the first acute care program in the country which began in 2012. The program is an intensive, year-long educational opportunity structured to facilitate the clinical development of occupational therapists in the management of acute and critical care patients in the hospital setting. The fellows will be mentored by experienced occupational therapists, many who are board certified in physical rehabilitation and have extensive experience in acute/critical care. We use a multi-modal teaching approach throughout the year which includes clinical practice, didactic content, structured mentoring, and various evidence based experiences to develop clinical growth. The year is broken into a variety of clinical modules (4-6 weeks each): general medicine, neurology/neurosurgery, trauma, general surgery, burns, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopedics, and oncology, with correlating ICU exposure. We serve a socially, economically, and racially diverse patient population on the south side of Chicago and emphasize culturally competent care.

Cheryl L. Esbrook, OTR/L, BCPR
Board Certified in Physical Rehabilitation
Program Director of Occupational Therapy Professional Development 

UChicago Medicine
5841 S. Maryland Ave. | Rm. W107, MC1081 | Chicago, IL 60637
Email: cheryl.esbrook@uchicagomedicine.org 
Phone: 773-702-6891
Fax: 773-702-5340