Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute Archive — Page 1 of 1

A person sits in a Virage driving simulator, holding the steering wheel as wraparound screens display a city street, a red car, and a stop sign.
July 8, 2026

Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute collaboration with General Motors fuels patient recovery with driving simulator

A driver rehabilitation program initiated by occupational therapists now encompasses multiple disciplines. Speech-language pathologists explain how these groups came together — and how a donation from partners at General Motors has steered the program in the right direction.

By Evan Dorian
Four women pose together holding an oversized Christmas Village donation check payable to Vanderbilt Hearing & Speech Sciences for $539,000, dated Jan. 13, 2026, at the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute.
January 19, 2026

Christmas Village supports hearing and speech programs at Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute

Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute dog Norman.
December 19, 2025

Norman, Pi Beta Phi facility dog, celebrates his 9th birthday and new book

Norman, Vanderbilt Health’s first facility dog, celebrated his 9th birthday recently, surrounded by his biggest fans and human and canine co-workers.

By Danny Bonvissuto
Three Labrador retrievers—two yellow and one black—sit on a ramp wearing blue comfort-dog vests, with a plush toy between them.
December 10, 2025

Sit, stay, heal: Meet the facility dogs of Vanderbilt Health 

More than a pet project, facility dogs can lower patient blood pressure, reduce pain perception, ease loneliness and fear and offer an important form of medicine — connection.

By Danny Bonvissuto
Christy Horner, director of VUMC’s Driver Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program, instructs patient Brittany Rogers during Rogers’ biweekly driver training session.
April 18, 2019

Driver training opens doors for teens with disabilities

Learning to drive can be scary for teens and parents. But for the families of teens with developmental and physical disabilities, learning whether they have the potential to drive can be just as unnerving.

By Kelsey Herbers
A woman in a blue jacket sits beside a leashed yellow facility dog wearing a blue service vest, while another woman holds the leash in a rehabilitation facility.
April 11, 2019

Facility dog helps rehabilitate patients with neurologic diagnoses

The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences’ newest employee is a physical therapist — but he also has a wet nose and wagging tail.

By Kelsey Herbers