Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry) is a specialty of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of aches and pains and other disabling conditions. Board-certified physiatrists complete four years of medical school as well as a four-year residency program, and many physiatrists also do fellowships in specialized areas of rehabilitation medicine. This training develops skills in the areas of orthopedics, neurology, and rheumatology. Physiatrists are therefore skilled in determining the cause of a patient's symptoms—nerve, muscle, joint, bone, ligament, etc.—and treating the patient’s condition. In addition to the conventional use of medications, physiatrists have expertise in the use of modalities (hydrotherapy, ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, etc.), exercise programs, manual techniques, equipment (splints, corsets, braces), and coordination of therapy programs.

At the PM&R Center, patients benefit from our physiatrists’ uniquely close working relationship with the therapy staff. There is ongoing communication between the physiatrists and therapists who work side-by-side in the same office space. There are also bimonthly in-office academic programs involving both physiatrists and therapists.

The PM&R Center physiatry staff maintains an exceptionally high level of academic expertise. A number of the physicians at our center are members of the teaching faculty at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Drs. Howard and Donald Liss have organized and spoken at national level academic courses, and all of our physiatrists have spoken to medical audiences, some on a national level. Several PM&R physiatrists have published reputed book chapters as well as articles in national medical journals. Recently, the PM&R physicians founded the Northern Valley Rehabilitation Society, an academic society devoted to the education of all rehabilitation professionals in northern New Jersey.

Our physiatry staff is also unique in its level of diversity of specialized training. Among the 17 physiatrists at the PM&R Center, there is a wide range of medical interests and educational experiences. Dr. Jeff Pavell is among a small number of physicians in New Jersey who are Fellows of the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Dr. Pavell and Dr. Tasca are also board-certified in Pain Medicine. Dr. Pavell and Dr. Tasca are fellowship-trained in spinal injections.

Dr. Jose Alonso is the director of our subacute rehabilitation program. He, Dr. Lisa Wisotsky, and Dr. Paul Jendrek and Dr. Sherry Ghosh have focused their practice on inpatient and geriatric rehabilitation.

Many of our physiatrists have extensive experience in athletics and performing arts, and therefore have a great interest in treating injuries related to these activities.