Which institution hosted the earliest physical therapy program?

• A. Yale
• B. Stanford
• C. University of Michigan
• D. Reed College

Answer: (D)

Understanding how physical therapy education began helps explain why Reed College is identified as hosting the earliest formal program. After World War I, there was a push to train rehabilitation specialists, and formal PT programs started to appear as part of hospitals and universities offering structured curricula with supervised clinical practice. Reed College is credited here because it established a formal, recognized physical therapy education track earlier than the other listed institutions, reflecting its proactive approach to health professions education and its ability to connect classroom study with hands-on clinical training. The other institutions eventually developed PT offerings as well, but Reed is noted for taking the lead in formalizing a dedicated PT program among these options.