{"id":248609,"date":"2026-07-17T09:30:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T13:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=248609"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:17:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:17:40","slug":"75-years-of-physical-therapy-at-uconn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/07\/75-years-of-physical-therapy-at-uconn\/","title":{"rendered":"75 Years of Physical Therapy at UConn"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn\u2019s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program is celebrating 75 years at UConn this year.<\/p>\n

Now located within the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources<\/a> (CAHNR), the DPT Program was first established as the New Haven School of Physical Therapy in 1919, making it one of the oldest physical therapy programs in the country. In 1951, the program moved to Storrs, where it has been ever since.<\/p>\n

\"UConn
In 2026, UConn’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program celebrates its 75th year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the time, physical therapy was a new field, having risen to professional prominence in response to the needs of World War I veterans recovering from injuries, and the 1916 polio outbreak.<\/p>\n

Initially, physical therapy training was folded into existing physical education programs. In 1939, the New Haven School of Physical Therapy began conferring separate associate\u2019s degrees in physical therapy. When the program came to UConn, it offered bachelor\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n

Under the leadership of its inaugural director, the late Frances Tappan, UConn\u2019s physical therapy program became the first physical therapy education program housed in a public land-grant university.<\/p>\n

The first class had only six students. Today, UConn\u2019s program still boasts small class sizes even as it has grown substantially, averaging 30 students per class compared to the national average of 46.<\/p>\n

\u201cThet really makes us pretty unique,\u201d says associate professor-in-residence and director of physical therapy Maryclaire Capetta. \u201cOur students know each other and our faculty really, really well. Even beyond their time as students they continue to stay connected to the program and the faculty who are here.\u201d
\n

\"Certificate<\/a>
Certificate of Accreditation from 1952<\/div><\/div>\"Physical<\/a>
Physical Therapy Class of 1995<\/div><\/div>\"Class<\/a>
Class of 2010<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Physical Therapy Class of 1988<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Physical Therapy Class of 1994<\/div><\/div>\"Class<\/a>
Class of 1995 in front of the Spirit Rock<\/div><\/div>\"Inaugural<\/a>
Inaugural director of UConn's Physical Therapy Program, Frances Tappan<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>