Jennifer Hankenson, MD, joined the Yale School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation on July 1 as an assistant professor.
Hankenson, a physiatrist, first became interested in non-operative musculoskeletal treatments after her husband was struck by a car while she was in medical school. He recovered, and while he was in physical rehabilitation, she was exposed to physiatry. The approach to the healing process impressed her.
"The doctor that was working with him said to me, 'You should add this field to your medical rotation,'" Hankenson said. “So I did, and I just fell in love with it.”
For Hankenson, the changes a physiatrist made in his recovery process make all the difference. Although she was first exposed to physiatry during her time in medical school at the University of South Florida in her native Tampa, she expanded her skillset during her residency at Georgetown University and the National Rehabilitation Hospital. There, she learned to work alongside patients in post-stroke recovery, others who suffered from traumatic brain injuries, and some with spinal cord ailments.
All of her work though centers on building patient relationships, which she said are always vital in medicine, but takes on another level of meaning with physiatrists because of the long-term work they often do with their patients. "When I was in my residency, I was a part of a continuity clinic where I was able to work with the same patients through three years of my training,” Hankenson said. "From the beginning stages of starting physical therapy to progressing and watching patients become independent in their lives again, I think that's what I look forward to the most in my practice."
Working at Yale not only provides Hankenson the chance to continue a process she started in residency but also exposes her to the latest research and top minds in her field. “There is an academic atmosphere here that I think is so important to growing as a physician,” she said. “You always want to learn more, to stay on top of the research, and to be a part of that process. I think this is an amazing opportunity.”
Hankenson will be seeing patients at Yale Medicine's Milford clinic and says she hopes to focus on a general approach to physiatry before settling on a specialty.
When she isn’t in the clinic, she’ll be exploring the local hiking trails, looking for new restaurants to try, and finding ways to adapt to the New England winters. She lives in Woodbridge with her husband and two children.
When I was in my residency, I was a part of a continuity clinic where I was able to work with the same patients through three years of my training. From the beginning stages of starting physical therapy to progressing and watching patients become independent in their lives again, I think that's what I look forward to the most in my practice.
Jennifer Hankenson, MD