Rita Hamilton Named Chief Medical Officer of Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation
11/15/2019 1:00:00 AM
By: BSWRehab.com
Rita Hamilton, D.O., Named Chief Medical Officer of Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation
DALLAS, Texas (November 8, 2019) – Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation (Baylor Scott & White Rehab) announces the appointment of Rita Hamilton, D.O., FAAPMR, as the organization’s chief medical officer. Dr. Hamilton has been with Baylor Scott & White Rehab for more than two decades, having led the spinal cord injury program and physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) residency programs.
Dr. Hamilton was also recently named chief of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and medical director of Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation – Dallas, an inpatient rehabilitation hospital that has received repeat recognition as one of the country’s top rehabilitation hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Hospitals" report. She has been serving as interim medical director of Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation – Dallas since March.
"Dr. Hamilton has a tremendous passion for our patients and employees, and her work over the years helped make us who we are today," said Fabian Polo, president of Baylor Scott & White Rehab. "Her leadership and innovative ideas will help us as we strive to continually be the best place to receive rehabilitation services in the communities we serve."
Hamilton, a native of Stamps, Ark., received her bachelor’s degree in biological science from Southern Arkansas University, in Magnolia, Ark. After completing her medical degree from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa, Okla., she completed her residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor University Medical Center.
She later completed her fellowship training in spinal cord injury medicine at UT Southwestern. Hamilton is passionate about delivering lifelong medical and rehabilitative care to patients living with spinal cord injury and disorders. Her other passion is training residents and resident education. Hamilton currently holds board certifications in PM&R from the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine from the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Hamilton is actively involved with the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, the American Spinal Injury Association and the Association of Academic Physiatrists as well as the American Academy of Physical Medicine and the Association of Academic Physiatrists. She is frequently invited to speak at forums nationwide on topics involving spinal cord rehabilitation and graduate medical education.
Baylor Scott & White Rehab is a joint venture between Baylor Scott & White Health and Select Medical and includes four inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in Dallas, Frisco, Fort Worth and Lakeway; acute inpatient rehabilitation units at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Grapevine; a neuro transitional facility in Dallas; almost 100 outpatient therapy centers in North and Central Texas; and home health services in North Texas.
Baylor Scott & White Rehab helps people overcome serious disabilities and return to full, productive lives. The interdisciplinary clinical teams – made up of physicians, nurses, therapists and other rehabilitation professionals – collaborate with patients and their families to design and implement treatment plans to achieve each patient's unique goals.
Baylor Scott & White Rehab has been designated by the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) as a model system for the treatment and care of patients with traumatic brain injuries.
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. An integrated care delivery network, the system includes the Scott and White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance. Through 50 hospitals and more than 1,000 access points including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care, throughout Texas, and via virtual touchpoints. If its service area were a state, it would be the eighth largest, providing care to a population larger than that of the state of Georgia. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Scott & White is proud to honor its century-long legacy through its commitment to improving accessibility, affordability and the customer experience for all. For more information, visit
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