Alumni Residency and Fellowship Programs

Throughout the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, students are challenged to think beyond the traditional applications for physical therapy. While many students head straight into practicing physical therapy after graduation, others opt for continued training.

Duke PT & OT offers several residency and fellowship opportunities through the Duke University Health System. Duke faculty serve as mentors in these programs, and the Duke PT fellows and residents often assist in teaching classes and electives in the Duke DPT curriculum. We are proud to say that we have had at least one alum graduate from each of the Duke PT and OT residency and fellowship programs.

Duke Health residencies

• Physical Therapy Faculty Development: This program, run by DPT, helps develop the next generation of PT faculty.

• Women’s Health: Started by Professor Carol Figuers, this program was the first of its kind in the nation, and the first PT residency at Duke. It provides an in-depth experience in the management of women’s health and wellness, including pelvic floor dysfunction, prenatal and postpartum concerns, oncologic issues, and complex osteoporosis.
  Cardiopulmonary: Duke's Cardiopulmonary PT residency offers an in-depth experience in the management of complex cardiac and pulmonary conditions.

• Pediatrics: Duke's Pediatric Physical Therapy residency provides an in-depth experience in the management of pediatrics across the continuum of care.

• Sports Physical Therapy: The mission of the Duke Sports Physical Therapist residency is to develop and graduate practitioners, who by virtue of their critical thinking ability, clinical skills, diagnostic competence, and ethical standards are committed to promoting the optimum health and function of their clients, and who will serve the larger society and profession through teaching, administration, and research.

• Orthopedic Physical Therapist: This Duke residency offers an in-depth experience in the management of orthopedics.
• Oncologic Physical Therapy: The Resident will be employed as a staff Physical Therapist in the Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, and will provide clinical service coverage 30 hours per week in the Duke PT and OT Oncologic Division
• Neurologic Physical Therapy: The resident will receive didactic training, have opportunities to teach, and be exposed to specialty clinics, including ALS, concussion, movement disorders, low vision, neuro-oncology, vestibular and dizziness, wheelchair fitting, orthotic and prosthetic, neuropsychology and EMG/NCV.


Duke PT and OT offer several fellowship opportunities, and more are planned.

Anyone who graduates from the DPT program can apply for a fellowship. Those who wish to specialize or advance their career in the field of physical therapy should consider applying for fellowships.

Duke Health fellowships

• Sports Medicine: Duke's PT Sports Fellowship provides an in-depth experience in the management of complex knee and shoulder problems for recreational athletes, with a defined subspecialty in the management of Division I Athletes.

• Orthopedic Manual Therapy: Duke's Manual PT Fellowship develops and graduates practitioners who are committed to promoting optimum health and function of their clients and through teaching, administration and research.

Residency and fellowship programs

Graduates of Duke DPT have also gone on to these residency and fellowship programs at:

• ATI Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• ATI Sports Physical Therapy Residency 

• ATI Upper Extremity Athlete Fellowship 

• Brooks Neurologic Residency 

• Brooks/UNF Orthopaedic Residency

• Brooks Pediatric Residency 

• Brooks Sports Residency

• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sports Residency

• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Residency

• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Pediatric Residency

• Cleveland Clinic's Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Durham VA Physical Therapy Geriatric Residency

• Emory University Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Evidence in Motion Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Evidence in Motion Sports Physical Therapy Residency

• Gundersen Medical Foundation Sports Residency

• Houston Methodist Sugar Land Sports Residency

• Institute for Athlete Regeneration Fellowship in Sports and Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy 

• Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Kaiser Permanete Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Kaiser Permante Southern California Orthopaedic Fellowship and Sports Rehabilitation 

• Memorial Hermann Sports Residency

• Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Physical Therapy Residency

• Northwestern University & Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (NU-RIC) Orthopaedic. Physical Therapy Residency

• The Ohio State University Orthopedic Residency

• The Ohio State University Orhopaedic Manual Therapy Fellowship

• The Ohio State University Sports Physical Therapy Residency

• The Ohio State University Women’s Health Physical Therapy Residency

• Massachusetts General Hospital / Northeastern University Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program 

• Medical University of South Carolina Neurologic Residency

• The MGH Institute’s Clinical Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy

• Nationwide Children's Hospital Sport Physical Therapy Residency 

• Proaxis Therapy Orthopedics Residency

• Proaxis Therapy Sports Residency

• The ProRehab and University of Evansville Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program 

• Stanford Healthcare Orthopaedic Residency 

• Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Residency

• University of Chicago Orthopedic Residency

• University of Florida Sports Residency 

• The University of Minnesota Geriatric Clinical Residency

• UNC Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency

• UNC Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• University of Southern California / Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Clinical Residency Program in Neurologic Physical Therapy 

• University of Southern California Sports Residency

• University of Utah Orthopedic Residency

• University of Washington Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency

• The Jackson Clinics Orthopedic Residency

• UPMC Centers for Rehab Services Sports Residency

• University of Southern California & Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Neurologic Residency

• Utah Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Utah Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• Utah Sports Physical Therapy Residency 

• UT Southwestern Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency 

• UT Southwestern Sports Physical Therapy Residency 

• Vail Health's Howard Head Sports Residency 

• VA St. Louis Health Care System Neurologic Residency 

• Virginia Commonwealth University Sports Residency Program 

• Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Clinical Residency in Women’s Health 
• University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Sports Physical Therapy Residency