Jerusalem Academic Center Launches Unique Physiotherapy Program to Train Next Generation of Rehabilitation Professionals
The Jerusalem Multidisciplinary Academic Center is establishing a new physiotherapy program in collaboration with Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, aiming to become the only institution offering physiotherapy studies in the Jerusalem area. This initiative follows the approval by the Council for Higher Education to submit a formal application, with the program currently in advanced stages of professional committee approval. The center is working to open the program in the upcoming academic year or the following one at the latest.
This new program is part of a broader plan to create a faculty dedicated to health and rehabilitation professions, designed to train future healthcare and rehabilitation specialists in Israel. Since the outbreak of the recent war, there has been a significant rise in young people's interest in health-related fields such as psychology, social work, physiotherapy, and other clinical professions. Students from various disciplines are also participating in interdisciplinary projects to assist wounded soldiers and trauma victims, developing innovative rehabilitation solutions for Israeli society.
Professor Gordon Shaag emphasized the critical role of academia in national rehabilitation, stating that expanding medical school enrollment alone is insufficient. Israel must invest in training health and rehabilitation professionals, establish new faculties, and expand academic infrastructure to meet growing demand and support the country's recovery efforts. The younger generation is eager to contribute, and it is the academic institutions' responsibility to equip them with the necessary skills and opportunities.
Hadassah Mount Scopus Rehabilitation Center, established shortly after the war began as a national project, has become one of Israel's largest rehabilitation centers, treating hundreds of combat-injured patients. As part of the collaboration, physiotherapy students will complete both theoretical and practical training at the rehabilitation center, with its staff actively involved in academic teaching and preparing the next generation of physiotherapists in Israel.
