Jacksonville University Announces Expanded Partnership with Brooks Rehabilitation to Enhance Market-Responsive Offerings in Healthcare Sciences

Jacksonville, FL – Continuing its commitment to educating and training skilled healthcare workers to meet rising demand for quality clinical services in Northeast Florida and beyond, Jacksonville University (JU) announced the expansion of its relationship with longstanding partner Brooks Rehabilitation. A $1.5 million commitment from Brooks Rehabilitation will support the creation of a new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in the Jacksonville University Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences School of Applied Health Sciences and will create the Brooks Rehabilitation Nursing Excellence Scholarship program within the Keigwin School of Nursing.

“Jacksonville University and Brooks Rehabilitation share a deep commitment to developing engaged, passionate students into highly qualified, contributing healthcare professionals in the applied health sciences and healthcare fields,” said President Tim Cost of Jacksonville University. “As our University continues to analyze, anticipate and respond to market needs, we’re thrilled to expand our successful Jacksonville University and Brooks Rehabilitation partnership that consistently produces sought-after graduates in nursing, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, health informatics, kinesiology, clinical mental health counseling and orthodontics.”

“As the largest employer of therapists in the region, we know that graduates of the Jacksonville University Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences are well-prepared for the demands of today’s healthcare industry,” said Doug Baer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brooks Rehabilitation. “We are proud to invest in the new Jacksonville University DPT program and the successful Keigwin School of Nursing programs to promote the continued evolution of healthcare education and support the future of high-quality, innovative healthcare services available to North Florida residents.”

Demand for physical therapists is expected to grow 18 percent over the next decade and all physical therapists are required to earn a DPT in order to practice. Designed to help meet the growing demand, the new Jacksonville University/Brooks Rehabilitation DPT program will be one of the most innovative in the country thanks to the strong collaboration between Jacksonville University and the Brooks Rehabilitation Institute of Higher Learning. In this model, both organizations will be fully invested and engaged throughout the student education and training cycle. In addition, the two-year, full-time program will be an accelerated course of study compared to traditional three-year DPT programs. The program is expected to be granted candidacy for accreditation in 2025 and looks forward to welcoming its first cohort in 2026.

The highly respected and competitive Jacksonville University Keigwin School of Nursing programs have grown exponentially, accelerated by a recent expansion of a 12-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program and a nurse practitioners scholarship fund through the JU Upskill Institute to help meet the shortage of primary care providers in the State of Florida. Building on that momentum, the new Brooks Rehabilitation Nursing Excellence Scholarship program is designed to attract the highest-performing students to Jacksonville University. The scholarships will benefit the innovative 12-month ABSN program, the 16-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, and senior students enrolled in the traditional BSN pre-licensure programs. These scholarships will serve as a direct pipeline for Jacksonville University graduates into the Brooks Rehabilitation health system, providing guaranteed employment to scholarship recipients. These graduates will help to elevate their profession and provide an opportunity for Jacksonville University nurses to become a part of a care team committed to excellence at one of Brooks’ two world-class rehabilitation hospitals in Jacksonville, Fla.

About the Jacksonville University Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences

The Jacksonville University Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences is the region’s premier provider of health science education. Its highly qualified faculty and staff are committed to preparing healthcare professionals who provide exemplary service in a number of fields, including those that target areas of critical need. The Brooks College offers several master’s degree programs, including speech-language pathology; health informatics; clinical mental health counseling; dentistry with an orthodontics certification; health quality and safety; and specialized nurse practitioner tracks such as psychiatric mental health. Additionally, Brooks College offers two doctorate degree programs in nursing and occupational therapy, as well as other degrees and certifications. Teaching, research and community engagement are cornerstone values of the College, which is well-positioned to offer integrative, hands-on training experiences, many of which are made possible through Jacksonville University’s strong industry partnerships. The Jacksonville healthcare landscape includes many institutions with strong ties to the University’s Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences. Through its integrative and modern curricula, the college promotes a learning environment that produces graduates who build careers defined by excellence in high-demand healthcare fields.

About Jacksonville University

As northeast Florida’s premier private institution of higher education, Jacksonville University is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best Regional Universities in the South, with back-to-back Top 30 rankings in 2020 and 2021. Founded in 1934, the University offers more than 100 majors, minors, and programs, including in-demand degrees in Nursing, Business, Marine Science, Engineering, Finance, and Psychology, as well as those in the highly specialized fields of Aviation, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Film, Animation, and Healthcare Administration. With its four colleges, eleven schools and two institutes, Jacksonville University’s 235-acre riverfront campus is minutes from downtown and from beautiful area beaches.

About Brooks Rehabilitation

For 50 years, Brooks Rehabilitation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., has been a comprehensive source for physical rehabilitation services. As a nonprofit organization, Brooks operates one of the nation’s largest inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S. with 160 beds, one of the region’s largest home healthcare agencies, more than 40 outpatient therapy clinics, a Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation in partnership with Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, the Brooks Rehabilitation Medical Group, two skilled nursing facilities, assisted living and memory care. Brooks is opening a second inpatient hospital in the greater Jacksonville area in 2022. The organization treats more than 55,000 patients through its system of care each year. In addition, Brooks operates the Clinical Research Center, which specializes in research for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and more to advance the science of rehabilitation. Brooks also provides many low or no cost community programs and services such as the Brooks Clubhouse, Brooks Aphasia Center and Brooks Adaptive Sports and Recreation to improve the quality of life for people living with physical disabilities. For more information, visit BrooksRehab.org. Photo assets can be found here.