Celebrating 50 years

The School of Rehabilitation celebrated its five-decade history with a full year of celebratory events, commencing in the fall of 2016 with a Speaker Series and concluding on the September 22-23, 2017 weekend with a historic display co-hosted with the Museum of Health Care, tours of the School, an alumni Roundtable Discussion on the School’s future and an evening Gala Dinner.

Queen’s University Senate approved the formation of the School at a special meeting on February 7, 1967, under the name School of Rehabilitation Medicine. In the fall of 1967, the School began its historic journey by offering three-year diploma programs in Occupational or Physical Therapy, opening its doors to just over 20 students across both programs. Dr. David Symington was named the first director with Mr. Roy Walmsley and Miss Muriel Driver as heads of the PT and OT programs respectively. By the following year, the name was changed to the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. The School began offering four-year Bachelor of Science OT or PT programs in 1972, which were replaced in 2004 with master’s level professional programs (MSc OT and MSc PT). The MSC Rehabilitation Science degree program commenced in 1988, with a PhD being launched in 2000. In 2015, the School implemented a graduate diploma and MSc in Aging and Health, adding a PhD in 2016. The School’s newest program, a Doctor of Science in Rehabilitation and Health Leadership (DCs RHL), will be launched in 2018.