History
update date :
2026-06-04
| 1990 | Dr. Tse-Chieh Hsueh, Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NCKU College of Medicine, proposed the establishment of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1990, with divisions in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. Professor Hsiun-ing Chen from the Department of Physiology concurrently served as the first department chair. |
|---|---|
| 1991 | The entire faculty supported the promotion of the Physical Therapists Act and joined faculty from six universities across Taiwan in petitioning for the official renaming and separation of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. |
| 1994 | The Division of Physical Therapy under the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was officially reorganized into the Department of Physical Therapy. |
| 1998 | Associate Professor Ar-Tyan Hsu, the first full-time faculty member of the department, became department chair. |
| 2001 | The master's program was established, consisting of three groups: Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Neurological Physical Therapy, and Pediatric Physical Therapy. |
| 2002 | The first class of the master's program admitted 10 students. The department also collaborated with Behavioral Medicine, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy to establish the Ph.D. program of the Institute of Allied Health Sciences. |
| 2003 | The Physical Therapy Ph.D. program under the Institute of Allied Health Sciences was established and admitted its first student. It was the first doctoral program in Taiwan based on physical therapy education. A Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy group was also added to the master's program. |
| 2005 | Admission to the master's program was opened to applicants without restricting eligibility to graduates of undergraduate physical therapy programs. |
| 2005 | Professor Ar-Tyan Hsu completed his term as department chair, and Associate Professor Ing-Shiou Hwang succeeded him as department chair. |
| 2006 | The department began allowing master's students to visit clinical research institutions at renowned universities abroad. |
| 2006 | The department received an Excellent rating in the university evaluation for student counseling performance, and the tutor system was changed from a family-based system to a class-advisor system. |
| 2006 | All desks and chairs in the department were replaced. |
| 2007 | The department installed digital podiums and a panoramic video recording system. |
| 2007 | The department held its first alumni homecoming event. |
| 2007 | The department again received an Excellent rating in the university evaluation for student counseling performance. |
| 2007 | Assistant Professor Ching-Hsia Hung received the Best New Investigator Paper Award in the Health Care Science Section in 2007. |
| 2008 | Professor Ing-Shiou Hwang completed his term as department chair, and Associate Professor Rong-Ju Cheng succeeded him as department chair. |
| 2008 | The Physical Therapy Consultation Center was established. |
| 2008 | The department revised the admission threshold standards for undergraduate recommendation and application admission for the first time. |
| 2008 | The full-time teaching assistant position was changed from a faculty position to an administrative position. |
| 2008 | The department emblem was completed and officially adopted. The emblem was designed by Yu-Hung Kao. |
| 2008 | The department underwent an on-site evaluation for university departments, institutes, and programs. |
| 2009 | An electronic whiteboard and teaching feedback system were installed in the multifunctional classroom. |
| 2009 | The department received an Excellent Award for student counseling performance in Academic Year 2008. |
| 2009 | The department received a Grade A Award for English-taught instruction in Academic Year 2008. |
| 2009 | Teacher Jeng-Feng Yang received the Excellent Teaching Faculty Award for Academic Year 2008. |
| 2009 | The department co-organized the 59th Academic Conference of the Taiwan Physical Therapy Association. |
| 2010 | Teacher Chiung-Yu Cho received the Excellent Tutor Award from the College of Medicine for Academic Year 2009. |
| 2010 | The elective course “Overseas Internship” was offered for the first time. |
| 2010 | The department held its first white coat ceremony. |
| 2010 | The department received the Special Excellence Award for tutor counseling performance in Academic Year 2009. |
| 2010 | The departmental book collection was transferred back to the College of Medicine Library. |
| 2011 | The department successfully held its 20th anniversary celebration. |
| 2011 | Professor Rong-Ju Cheng continued to serve as department chair. |
| 2011 | The department held a symposium with clinical internship hospitals. |
| 2012 | The department held its first hooding ceremony for graduates. |
| 2012 | Students from Malaysia participated in a short-term summer practicum in the department. |
| 2012 | The NCKU Physical Therapy Alumni Association was established, and the first general meeting of alumni association members was held. |
| 2013 | Professor Rong-Ju Cheng completed her term as department chair, and Professor Sang-I Lin succeeded her as department chair. |
| 2015 | The NCKU Physical Therapy Center was officially established. |
| 2016 | The integrated bachelor's-master's program was launched, and the clinical track of the master's program officially began admitting students. |
| 2017 | Professor Sang-I Lin completed her term as department chair, and Professor Ching-Hsia Hung succeeded her as department chair. |
| 2019 | The department won third place in the Campus Environmental Beautification, Greening, and Cleanliness Competition for the first semester of Academic Year 2019. |
| 2020 | Congratulations to Professor Ching-Hsia Hung for receiving the Excellent Teaching Award for University Innovation and University Social Responsibility for Academic Year 2018. |
| 2020 | Professor Ching-Hsia Hung stepped down as department chair, and Associate Professor Cheng-Feng Lin succeeded her as department chair. |
| 2023 | Associate Professor Cheng-Feng Lin stepped down as department chair, and Professor Kun-Ling Tsai succeeded him as department chair. |
| 2026 | Professor Kun-Ling Tsai stepped down as department chair, and Professor Yi-Ju Tsai succeeded him as department chair. |