On this episode, we are joined by Nate Short, a hand and upper extremity therapist who had an incredible opportunity to travel to Ukraine and provide education on upper extremity rehabilitation for Ukrainian therapists. He shares with us his experience of traveling to a country actively involved in conflict and how his team provided training on a variety of topics related to evaluation and treatment of upper extremity conditions while also navigating language barriers and other unique obstacles encountered when serving abroad.  

Guest bio: Nathan Short, PhD, OTD, CHT, FAOTA, is a Professor of Occupational Therapy at Abilene Christian University and practices at West Texas Rehab. He is the author of Functional Anatomy for Occupational Therapy and its companion text, OT Guide to Goniometry and MMT. 

Hand in Hand with Ukraine: https://handinhandukraine.org.uk

On this episode we are joined by Alex Mackenzie, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist. We discuss flexor tendon rehabilitation, how things have changed over the years to optimize outcomes for our patients, how to progress patients through their rehabilitation, and important factors to consider when treating these injuries. 

Guest Bio: Alexandra MacKenzie OTR/L, CHT is the Clinical Lead at Hospital For Special Surgery and she serves on the board of the American Hand Therapy Foundation. Her clinical passions are brachial plexus/ nerve injuries, flexor tendon rehabilitation, and mentorship. She helped develop an AOTA-accredited hand therapy fellowship program at HSS and enjoys being the clinical mentor for that program. She has written chapters and presented nationally on a variety of hand therapy related topics. Global health and global healthcare education are interests of hers and she has participated in short-term medical missions to Guatemala, Honduras and Fiji.

Welcome back to another episode of Hands in Motion. On this episode, we are joined by Kim Pace, an occupational therapist who specializes in industrial rehabilitation. Kim shares with us what her role is in returning clients back to their jobs after injury. We discuss how she evaluates clients and ensures that they are ready to return to their job, if modifications are necessary, or if another job might be more suitable based on their functional abilities. Welcome to Hands in Motion, Kim.

Guest bio: Kimberly graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in 1982. She spent eight years practicing in psychiatric occupational therapy and then for the last 34 years she has been involved in a variety of aspects of industrial rehabilitation. Kim performs Functional Capacity Evaluations, work evaluations, job site visits, job site videos, job coaching, and pre-employment testing. Kim has been at her current job for 22 years and has the privilege of working with 15 hand and orthopedic specialists which are on-site at all clinics where therapy is provided. Kim is very involved with the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association and was appointed by the governor to serve on the State of Michigan Occupational Therapy Board for six years. Kim's passion is to make sure clients receive therapy that will help them achieve their goals so they can resume their previous level of activity. 

On this episode, we are joined by Dr. Bryan Loeffler, an orthopedic surgeon who devotes a significant amount of his practice to treating patients who have experienced limb loss. He discusses with us the use of targeted muscle reinnervation, its indications, and how it has transformed care for patients to prevent pain and improve function.  

Guest bio:

Dr. Loeffler specializes in the entire spectrum of hand and upper extremity disorders from the fingertips to the shoulder. He has a special interest in complex elbow conditions and peripheral nerve injuries. Dr. Loeffler has been awarded multiple research grants to fund various clinical studies as well as a basic science study on biologic solutions to improve rotator cuff healing. He has authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from forearm injuries to shoulder and elbow replacement. Academic honors and achievements range from excellence in surgery to resident teaching award. He has also participated in two international medical missions, providing orthopaedic surgical care in underserved areas. Dr. Loeffler is a former NCAA Division I wrestler at the University of Maryland, and he remains active by running and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.

On this episode, we are joined by Emily Hartnett, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist who has turned her hobby of rock climbing into a specialty area of practice.  She shares with us common injuries sustained by rock climbers and unique aspects of caring for this patient population.  

Guest bio:

Emily Hartnett, OTD, MOTR/L, CHT graduated with her Bachelors of Health Science in 2017, her Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2019, and her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy with a focus on rock-climbers' injuries in 2022 from Quinnipiac University.  Emily is an avid rock climber herself and has been specializing in treatment of the upper extremity since she received her OT license in February of 2019. Emily has combined her hobby and career to treat rock climbers; she has developed effective return to climb protocols and effective strategies, such as PRO (Pulley Ring Orthotic, patent pending) fabrication and application, to allow climbers to continue to climb while rehabilitating from injury.

On this episode, we are joined by Rob McClellan, our current ASHT Board Member at Large.  Rob shares with us all of the benefits of being an ASHT member and a variety of ways to get involved in the organization.  Welcome to Hands in Motion, Rob.

Guest bio:

Rob McClellan, OTR/L, CHT, COMT-UL has 23 years of experience working in hand and upper limb rehabilitation. He is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists serving on the Board of Directors as Board Member at Large, the Leadership Committee, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He is an active member of the American Association for Hand Surgery and is the Immediate Past President of the Georgia Hand and Upper Extremity Special Interest Group. He has had the opportunity to speak at previous ASHT Annual Conferences and the IFSSH/ IFSHT Triennial Congress in London. Rob is the Hand Program Coordinator for Physio/ Select Medical in Georgia

We are joined by Dr Brad Grunert, a psychologist who has worked for many years with patients who have sustained traumatic injuries to their upper extremity. He shares with the techniques that we can utilize in our hand therapy sessions to support the psychological needs of our patients and help them cope with their injury.

Guest bio:

Dr. Grunert is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Medical College of Wisconsin. His areas of specialty include working with traumatically hand-injured patients, and he has published extensively in this area. He also has interests in psychogenic hand disorders and chronic pain disorders of the upper extremity. He is in his 47th year of practice and still enjoys the opportunity to assist patients in coping with the psychological residuals of hand injuries and their accompanying disability. Dr. Grunert is a fellow of Wisconsin Psychological Association and a member of the American Psychological Association.

On this episode, we are joined by Yeiddy Ferreira, an occupational therapist who is spending three months volunteering as a hand therapist with Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone, Africa. Yeiddy shares with us what life is like living on the ship and caring for patients who have undergone surgery to their upper extremity.  

Guest bio:

Yeiddy L. Ferreira, OTR/L is originally from the Dominican Republic. She graduated from Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York with a Masters in Occupational Therapy. She has always had a passion for hand therapy and began working in the field after she graduated in 2021. In 2022, she went on her first medical mission trip as a hand therapist in the Dominican Republic. After this experience, her passion for serving and helping others grew further. This is when she came across Mercy Ships and accepted a three-month commitment to serve as a hand therapist in Sierra Leone, Africa. When not taking care of patients on the ship, Yeiddy spends her time studying for the CHT Xxam which she plans to take in November 2024.  

On this episode, we are joined by Ann Lucado, a physical therapist and Certified Hand

Therapist who led a team of clinicians to develop the clinical practice guideline, “Lateral

Elbow Pain and Muscle Function Impairments.” Ann shares with us what a clinical

practice guideline is and how they are developed, as well as the results of this guideline

and how therapists treating patients with lateral elbow pain can best utilize the

evidence.

Guest bio:

Ann Lucado, PT, PhD, CHT

Ann Lucado is a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who has specialized in

upper extremity and orthopedic rehabilitation for the past 30 years. She is an active

member of the APTA’s Academy of Orthopedic Physical therapy and is currently serving

as the Chair of the Research Committee and Coordinator of Clinical Practice Guideline

Development for the Academy of Hand and Upper Extremity Physical Therapy. She

received her Master of Science in Community Health Education and Physical Therapy

and received her PhD in research methodology and design in Physical Therapy. Dr.

Lucado is currently an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

at Mercer University located in Atlanta, Georgia. She has conducted numerous

instructional seminars and is the author of several research articles related to elbow

tendinopathies. She headed the Guideline Development group for the recently

published Clinical Practice Guideline related to Lateral Elbow Pain and Muscle Function

Impairments in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-lucado-6a656520/

https://instagram.com/annlucado?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_sour

On this episode are joined by Alyssa Phillips, an occupational therapist who has spent a large majority of her clinical practice and research on how patients perceive pain and the relationship between psychological factors and pain. On this episode, she shares with us the importance of recognizing how psychological factors can have an effect on our patient’s recovery. She also shares strategies for maximizing our patient’s functional outcomes while addressing their pain.  

Guest bio:

Alyssa L. Phillips, CScD, MOT, OTR/L

Alyssa graduated from Saint Francis University with her Masters of Occupational therapy and later with her Doctorate in Clinical Science from the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on adolescent pain management. Alyssa brings a unique background with an undergraduate degree in psychology to her practice as an occupational therapist. For the last six years, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings including: upper extremity, chronic pain, neurological, work & industry, and pediatrics. Currently, Alyssa is the Clinical Education Coordinator and an assistant professor at Pacific University.

On this episode we are joined by our first repeat guest, Jim Wagner. Jim is an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who also has a background in strength training and conditioning. He shares with us how to implement strength and conditioning in our hand therapy practices and why it’s important for our patients.    

Jim Wagner OTD, OTR/L, CHT, CPAM, CSCS

Dr. Wagner is an occupational therapist/Certified Hand Therapist with 28 years of clinical experience working in the upper extremity orthopedic setting. He received his post professional clinical doctorate from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions with a specialty in hand therapy. Dr. Wagner is credentialed in physical agent modalities and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. 

Jim is currently the team leader of the Guthrie Hand Center and is an adjunct professor at both Keuka and Ithaca College occupational therapy programs. Jim has been involved in competitive powerlifting/bodybuilding for 35 year and has been in 28 competitions. He has traveled extensively teaching on topics such as kinesiology taping, cupping, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobility, orthotic fabrication and blood flow restriction training. 

Jim is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists. He has been published in the practice forum section of the Journal of Hand Therapy and serves on the Education Division of the ASHT.

Article Links:



Comparison of blood flow restriction devices and their effect on quadriceps muscle activation.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2021.02.005

Practical Blood Flow Restriction Training Increases Acute Determinants of Hypertrophy Without Increasing Indices of Muscle Damage.

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2013/11000/Practical_Blood_Flow_Restriction_Training.20.aspx

Blood Flow Restriction Training: Implementation into Clinical Practice.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5609669/

Differences in the limb blood flow between two types of blood flow restriction cuffs: A pilot study. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.931270/full

On this episode we are joined by Julianne Howell, a physical therapist and certified hand therapist who has contributed significantly to the field of hand and upper extremity therapy through publications and teaching of the use of relative motion orthoses. We discuss the concept of relative motion and how this was initially used in treating extensor tendon repairs but now is being utilized for protection, assessment, exercise, and adaptive techniques. We also explore a variety of diagnoses and instances where patients might benefit from a relative motion extension or flexion orthosis.  

Guest: Julianne W Howell, PT, MS, CHT

Julie has enjoyed being a physical therapist, with more than 40 years of her career dedicated to the management of the upper limb and hand. Practice sites have varied from the Midwest and to the west to east coasts in acute hospitals, an adult burn center, as owner of a private hand therapy practice, development of two corporate hand centers and as a private consultant. She has had the great fortune to work side by side with hand surgeons and therapists who have influenced her approach to patient care as well as the science of hand surgery and hand therapy.   

Julie has strived to be a lifetime learner, provide valued patient care, and to be a good mentor and colleague. Early in her career, she set a personal goal to routinely contribute to the science of hand therapy. She now has over 20 peer-reviewed publications and 15 book chapters and articles.  

Julie has participated in countless professional seminars and is proud of her service to AAHS, ASHT, IFSHT, Journal of Hand Therapy, Hand, and Techniques in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery. She has been honored to receive the AAHS Vargas Teaching Award, ASHT RL Petzoldt Award for best innovative research, ASHT Best Clinical Research paper, the Journal of Physical Therapy Jack Walker Award for best clinical practice manuscript and most downloaded IFSHT presentation. She has had the great honor to be awarded Philadelphia’s Honored Professorship and Invited Speaker for the New Zealand, Dutch, Canadian and Malaysian Hand Therapy Societies. Co-editing the 2023 Journal of Hand Therapy relative motion special issue was also a very satisfying achievement for Julie!

Julie feels very fortunate to have collaborated with many colleagues over the years, especially Wyndell Merritt, MD, FACS and Melissa Hirth, BOT, MSc, PhD. Together they have made an evidence-based global impact concerning the relative motion concept and orthoses. 

This is a special two-for-one episode as we are joined by four guests to discuss the ASHT Leadership Committee and the Leadership Development Program. Juliet Steffe and Theresa Hallenen - the chair and vice chair of the Leadership Development Committee, respectively - share with us the work the committee is focused on and how the Leadership Development Program was designed and carried out to support emerging leaders in the field of hand and upper extremity therapy. We also have the opportunity to talk with Brooke Ochoa and Laura Carlos who were members of the first cohort of the Leadership Development Program. They share their experience participating in the program and how they plan to use the knowledge and experience they gained to work toward achieving their personal and professional goals. 

Guests:

Laura L Carlos, MOT, OTR/L, CHT, CEAS I, is a bilingual Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist. Laura has been practicing since 2018. Laura currently works as a Level II therapist at UChicago Medicine hospital in the outpatient orthopedic clinic. Laura has been serving the southside of Chicago a little over a year and a half. Laura previously worked at Schwab Rehabilitation hospital in the outpatient setting with a mix caseload of neurological and orthopedic conditions. Laura helped co-create the DEI Media Literacy Committee at Schwab which looked to review and assess different types of media sources and hold discussions on how it impacts our roles/interactions with our fellow co-workers and the patients we serve. Laura is also a co-founder of DiversOTy Chicago Collective which is a local organization looking to support potential OT students/current OT students and practitioners of diverse backgrounds, increase awareness of the OT profession, and support Chicagoland communities. Laura is also an active member of the DEI committee at UChicago Medicine, and is serving on the community engagement subcommittee. 

Theresa Hallenen, DHSc, MS, OTR/L, CHT, is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with over 10-years of experience. She works for the Duke University Health System as a senior OT and co-director of the Duke Hand Therapy Fellowship program. Theresa has worked with colleagues in orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery to establish a center of excellence dedicated to traumatic nerve injury. Besides her clinical work, Theresa is an instructor for the Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. She has volunteered with ASHT and the leadership committee since 2020.

Brooke Ochoa, OTR/L, CHT, works for Benchmark Physical Therapy in northeast Georgia. She is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists serving as Advocacy Committee chair of the Practice Division, presenting at the Atlanta Hand Therapy Review Course, and participating in the inaugural cohort of the Leadership Development Program. In addition to service with ASHT, Brooke enjoys mentoring students and new graduate occupational therapists. Her passions include promoting the specialty of hand therapy in her community and empowering occupational therapy students to pursue careers in hand therapy. In her free time, Brooke enjoys hiking, reading, and finding local restaurants to enjoy.

Juliet Steffe, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, is the Director of Academic Fieldwork and Assistant Professor at the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy at Spalding University.  She also works as a hand therapist with Louisville Orthopedic Clinic.  She graduated from the Medical College of Ohio in 1995 with a Master of Occupational Therapy.  She worked for Shriners Hospitals for Children early in her career, gaining interest and experience in pediatric hand therapy. After moving to Atlanta, GA, in 2000, Juliet continued to build her pediatric hand therapy skills with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  While

We are just weeks away from gathering in San Antonio, Texas for the 46th ASHT Annual Meeting. If you haven’t signed up yet to attend either in person or virtually, this episode might give you the little push you need to register.  We are joined by Missy Thurlow, this year’s annual meeting chair.  She shares with us what we can expect at the meeting during the plenary sessions, the concurrent sessions, and of course the social and networking opportunities.  

Guest bio:

Missy Cathcart Thurlow, MBA, OTR/L, CHT works in Atlanta, Georgia for Peachtree Orthopedics.   She has been an occupational therapist for 42 years and graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas in 1981.    Missy is currently the ASHT Annual Meeting Chair and also works closely with the Georgia Hand and Upper Extremity Special Interest Group.   Previously, she has given many years to serving on the ASHT board of directors and loves working with other therapists by providing great education.   Missy is a fieldwork instructor and loves to teach students about hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. 

On this episode, we are joined by Judy Colditz. Judy is an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who has contributed to the field of hand and upper extremity therapy for a number of years through sharing her knowledge. She has published journal articles, written book chapters, and provided educational offerings on a variety of hand therapy topics. On this episode, Judy shares with us a concept for treating stiff hands that she developed called Casting Motion to Mobilize Stiffness. We discuss how this concept came to be and how we can apply this technique in our clinical practice.

Guest:  Judy Colditz, OT/L, CHT, FAOTA

On this episode, we are joined by Sarah Tuberty, OTD, OTR/L, an occupational therapist who, through her own lived experience of being born with a limb difference, is helping to increase visibility and inclusion of the limb difference community. She shares with us how the language around limb differences has evolved and how we as therapists can create a supportive network for patient and families as they navigate the limb difference community.

Guest Bio:

Sarah Tuberty, OTD, OTR/L, has the lived experience of a congenital hand difference, meaning she was born without fingers on her left hand and was a patient of the Shriners Hospital for Children – Northern California. Her life has been a journey of adaptation and understanding of the disability experience. She earned her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Boston University.  Partnering with her hand surgeon, Michelle James, MD, Sarah developed the Congenital Hand Differences Resource website, which is an online resource for parents of children with hand differences. Sarah sought to continue to make accessible resources for parents and partnered with co-author, Nina Lightdale-Miric, MD to write The Hand Book: An Informational Guide for Parents of Children with Hand Differences. This book is recently published by ASSH and funded by AFSH. 

Sarah’s particular interests surround the social and emotional aspects of growing up with physical differences. Her work includes co-founding and co-hosting Disarming Disability, a podcast on deconstructing the social construct on disability and an author of Super-Abled Comics, featuring six short stories of superheroes with limb differences written by authors who have limb differences. She is ecstatic to level up her work, and has just completed her first year in an OT PhD program at Texas Womans University. 

Sarah works to provide consulting services on disability related topics, modeling, and has presented at multiple events on topics around inclusion, disability stigma, and lived experience with a congenital hand difference. All of these efforts are to create a true and positive narrative of disability, where we can all be proud of who we are, what our bodies look like, and how they move.

On this episode we are joined by Greg Johnson. In 2017 Greg was involved in an accident and sustained amputations of his long, ring and small fingers of his right hand. After his injury his goal was to restore his independence, and he found that through the use of a variety of prosthetics. Greg shares with us his experience of learning to use a variety of prostheses that have allowed him to return to work and the other activities that are meaningful to him. 

Guest Bio:

Greg Johnson entered the United States Navy in 1985 as an advanced electronic technician. He was deployed three times to the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and North Atlantic. He was part of the first responders to the TWA Flight 800 plane crash, driving for 43 days recovering victims and wreckage. PO Johnson was selected as the 1999 Chief of Naval Operations Shore Sailor of the Year and was transferred to Washington, DC as a Special Assistant to the CNO. He was promoted in 2000 and was deployed twice as an Officer in Charge to the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. From 2004-2007, he was stationed in Guam where he served as the Readiness and Training department head. In 2007, he transferred to Naval Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technology Division, serving as the Readiness and Training Officer and Officer in Charge of the Foreign Material Acquisition Platoon. After 26 years in the Navy, he retired in November 2010 and worked as a government service employee as the Foreign Material Acquisition team lead. While in this role, he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan three times. While working overseas, Mr. Johnson was wounded by improvised homemade explosive devices resulting in the loss of fingers on his right hand and numerous shrapnel wounds throughout his body.

On this episode, we are joined by Dwight Putnam, a certified prosthetist who works at a pediatric hospital in Texas. He brings a unique perspective to his job as a prosthetist as he previously worked as a professional sculptor. In his job, Dwight works with kids born with congenital hand differences and he builds terminal devices that allow them to participate in the activities that are meaningful to them.

Guest bio:

Dwight Putnam, CP/LP, graduated from Austin College with a degree in art with an emphasis in sculpture. He worked as a professional sculptor building works of art for casinos, museums, zoos and retail companies around the globe before an opportunity arose to fabricate silicone appliances for the face, hands, and feet. It was then that he saw how his background in sculpture could help change people’s lives so he returned to school to become a prosthetist.

Dwight graduated from California State University and completed his prosthetics residency at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. After completing his residency in 2007, he joined the staff at Scottish Rite as a certified prosthetist and has been there ever since. He designs both upper and lower extremity prosthetics for pediatric patients.

On this episode, we are joined by Haley Van Escobar, an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who serves in a unique role as a consultant for a prosthetics company. Haley shares with us how she transitioned into this role and how a hand therapist is vital to a multidisciplinary team when addressing partial hand amputations.

Guest Bio:

Haley Van Escobar, MOTR/L, CHT is a certified hand therapist with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and more than a decade of experience caring for the upper extremity. She is excited about innovation, great clinical skills, and the ‘why’ we do what we do. Haley provides hand therapy consultation for Naked Prosthetics, the leading manufacturer of partial-hand prosthetics. In this role, constant collaboration with a team of a variety of healthcare professionals allows Haley to get people back to life through prosthetic intervention. Inspired by great clinical outcomes and relationships, Haley works to advance the practice of hand therapy through creating top-tier educational events and workshops, approved for credit by AOTA which can be found on her website. Haley is a contributor to Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation, 4th edition, serves as project lead for the ASHT Education Division, and serves on AAHS’s Education Committee.

On this episode, we are joined by Danielle Sparks, an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who currently serves as the Director of ASHT’s Practice Division. Danielle gives us the inside scoop on the Practice Division and how ASHT, along with our legislative consultants, advocates for our profession and how you can get involved as well. 

Guest Bio:

Danielle Sparks, DHS, MOT, OTR, CHT is the Director of Therapy at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center in Indianapolis, IN. She has been an occupational therapist since 2009 and a Certified Hand Therapist since 2015. Danielle received her post-professional doctorate in 2018 at the University of Indianapolis. She is the current Practice Division Director for ASHT and has been a member of the Practice Division since 2017. Danielle is passionate about patient care and advocating for our profession.

On this episode, we are joined by Karen Roeming, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist who has a servant’s heart and a special place in her heart for the people of Sierra Leone, Africa. Karen shares with us about a recent mission trip she organized to Sierra Leone to help survivors of a gas explosion that occurred in 2021. We discuss the challenges of providing medical care in an underdeveloped country and how the team used their creative therapist minds to treat the burn survivors.

Guest Bio:

Karen Roeming, OT, MA, CHT is the Director of Occupational Therapy at Colleyville Physical Therapy in Colleyville, Texas. She graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Occupational Therapy and then received a Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.

Karen has served on the Board of Directors and the Annual Meeting Committee for the American Society of Hand Therapists. She has also served as President and Education Chair for the Texas Society for Hand Therapy and is a co-founder of the DFW Hand Society. Karen has been a speaker at national, state, and local hand therapy society and occupational therapy educational meetings. Karen is a repeat missioner to Bo, Sierra Leone, Africa. She started the Run for Rescue 5K and 1-mile event in 2010 and directed the Sponsor-a-Child program for the Child Rescue Center in Sierra Leone.

On this episode, we are joined by Stephanie Kannas, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist who has taken a special interest in treating patients who have sustained traumatic brachial plexus injuries. Stephanie discusses the mechanism of injury, common surgical procedures, and the role of upper extremity therapists in restoring function for these patients. If you have questions or would like to use Stephanie as a resource, her contact email is kannas.stephanie@mayo.edu.

Guest Bio:

Stephanie Kannas, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, is the Director of the Occupational Therapy

Fellowship Program, Coordinator of the Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship Program and clinical lead occupational therapist in hand therapy at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She is an assistant professor for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Stephanie serves on the AO North America Hand Education Committee and holds an Affiliate Member At Large position for the American Society of Hand Surgery.

Stephanie received her baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy in 2000 from the

University of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2016, she earned her post-

professional doctoral degree in occupational therapy and successfully completed the hand therapy elective track from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. She is a Certified Hand Therapist. She has over 21 years of experience at Mayo Clinic. The majority of her time has been focused on hand injuries varying from complex trauma cases while patients are hospitalized to outpatient therapy needs.

On this episode we are joined by Patti Sharp, an occupational therapist who has spent several years working with pediatric patients who have sustained burn injuries. Patti discusses the role of occupational and physical therapy in a burn unit, what makes treating children different, and strategies for treating this population who have sustained life-altering burn injuries.

Guest Bio:

Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP, is a pediatric occupational therapist with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) in Ohio. She earned her Master’s in OT at Washington University and OTD at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and has over 20 years of pediatric experience. She has specialized in burns and neurorehabilitation, but now focuses on enhancing care in the developmental world. She co-leads the Developmental Coordination Disorder team at CCHMC and is a certified Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) therapist and trainer.

On this episode, we are joined by Lindsey Williams, an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist. This is Lindsey’s second time on the Hands in Motion podcast. On this episode, we discuss distal radius epiphysitis, commonly known as gymnast’s wrist. Lindsey describes how this condition is diagnosed, initially treated, and what the return to sport rehabilitation looks like. 

Guest bio: Lindsey Williams OT, CHT is a pediatric occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist specializing in treatment of pediatric upper limb conditions including congenital anomalies, orthopedic conditions, and sports related injuries at Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas, TX. She received her Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation from Murray State University in 2005 and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2008 from Spalding University. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2015. Prior to joining the Scottish Rite team, Lindsey began her career at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where she worked with a multidisciplinary team to serve hand, rheumatology, and brachial plexus clinics.

In this episode, we discuss pediatric joint hypermobility with Carrie Shotwell, an occupational therapist who works at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She has an extensive history working with children and teenagers who experience hypermobility in their joints which can significantly impact their everyday lives. She shares tips and tricks for assessing and treating these children affected by this diagnosis, how to get both the kids and their parents to buy in, and how we as therapists can support then on their lifetime journey of living with hypermobile joints. 

Guest Bio:

Carrie Shotwell is an occupational therapist at Cincinnati Children’s hospital. She works in outpatient therapy as well as in several clinics including pediatric rheumatology, orthopedic and plastics, CP, and EB. Her primary caseload is pediatric hand therapy, including many people with hypermobility spectrum disorder. She is currently helping to update and revise the Cincinnati Children’s Clinical Practice Guideline for joint hypermobility.

On this episode we are joined by Jim Wagner, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, CPAM, CSCS, to discuss blood flow restriction and its application to upper extremity rehab. Jim discusses the science behind blood flow restriction, how it can be utilized in the rehab setting, and how it can benefit patients. 

Article Links:

Comparison of blood flow restriction devices and their effect on quadriceps muscle activation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2021.02.005

Practical Blood Flow Restriction Training Increases Acute Determinants of Hypertrophy Without Increasing Indices of Muscle Damage.

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2013/11000/Practical_Blood_Flow_Restriction_Training.20.aspx

Blood Flow Restriction Training: Implementation into Clinical Practice.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5609669/

Differences in the limb blood flow between two types of blood flow restriction cuffs: A pilot study. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.931270/full

Guest Bio:

Dr. Wagner, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, CPAM, CSCS, is an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with 28 years of clinical experience working in the upper extremity orthopedic setting. He received his post professional clinical doctorate from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions with a specialty in hand therapy. Dr. Wagner is credentialed in physical agent modalities and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Jim is currently the team leader of the Guthrie Hand Center and is an adjunct professor at both Keuka and Ithaca College occupational therapy programs. He has been involved in competitive powerlifting/bodybuilding for 35 year and has participated in 28 competitions. Jim has traveled extensively teaching on topics such as kinesiology taping, cupping, instrument assisted soft tissue mobility, orthotic fabrication, and blood flow restriction training. Jim is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT). He has been published in the practice forum section of the Journal of Hand Therapy and serves on the Education Division of the ASHT.

On this episode, we are joined by Ann Porretto-Loerhke, PT, DPT, CHT, COMT, CMTPT to discuss joint mobilizations for the elbow. She recently presented a webinar for ASHT on this very topic so if you did not catch that episode, we will give you a sneak peek on some of the information discussed in the webinar as well as some other tips and tricks on treating the elbow. Wanting to know more? Check out her webinar in ASHT’s webinar library at: https://education.asht.org

Guest Bio: dss

Ann has been a practicing physical therapist since 1994 and CHT since 2002. Since obtaining her manual therapy certification in 2003, Ann has utilized her background in differential diagnostics to create engaging clinical content for hand therapists to become more efficient clinicians. This is illustrated in the “Clinical Manual Assessment of the Wrist” published in the 2016 Special Edition on the Wrist in the Journal of Hand Therapy and Chapter 55: “Therapist Management of Compression Neuropathies of the Elbow” in the most recent edition of the Rehabilitation of the Hand. She possesses a passion for learning and clinical teaching. Ann is the Clinical Development Coordinator at the Hand to Shoulder Center in Appleton, Wisconsin. She serves on the ASHT Awards Committee and enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge both through in-person courses and online. 

We are honored to be joined by Buddy Valastro and Deana Swanson, OT/L, CHT, a fantastic patient-therapist combo. Two years ago Buddy suffered a severe injury to his right hand in an accident at home and has undergone multiple surgeries and hours of therapy in order to return to work in his family business, Carlo’s Bakery. On this episode, he and his hand therapist discuss his injury and how they worked together to get Buddy back to what her loves.  

Guest Bios: 

Deana Swanson, MS, OTR/L, CHT

Deana Swanson, MS, OTR/L, CHT received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2009 from Quinnipiac University. Following graduation, she began her training in hand and upper extremity therapy, treating trauma cases, repetitive stress injuries, post-op cases, and fractures.

In 2014, Deana became a Certified Hand Therapist and continued to treat trauma cases along with musicians from the New York Philharmonic. In 2021, Deana appeared with Buddy Valastro on TLC & #39’s December special, Buddy Valastro: Road to Recovery.

Currently, Deana is working as a hand therapist. Additionally, she conducts lectures and mentors staff and students from various colleges. Outside of work, Deana enjoys running, dancing, weightlifting, traveling, reading and spending time with her family

Buddy Valastro

Celebrity baker Buddy Valastro, a pioneer of the custom cake movement, has accomplished an insurmountable amount of influence through his work with the long-standing family business Carlo’s Bakery and the hit TLC series Cake Boss. With four New York Times best-selling books, four hit television shows and a following of more than 20 million social media fans internationally, Valastro continually establishes himself as a powerhouse in the culinary field.

Established in 1910, Carlo’s Bakery is a family-owned business with 12 locations nationally and numerous Cake ATM locations in North America. In 2013 Valastro, along with renowned restaurateurs Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla, opened Buddy V’s Ristorante at the Venetian Las Vegas focusing on the savory side of the Valastro family with dishes passed down from generation to generation. In 2020, Valastro opened his first pizzeria on the Las Vegas Strip, PizzaCake, at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, celebrating his love of both pizza and cake. 2022 has already been an exciting year for Valastro with the opening of The Boss Café and Jersey Eats at The LINQ Hotel + Experience, both of which focus on casual, grab-and-go Italian favorites. Valastro's success continues to expand with additional concepts and locations of existing favorites and a growing e-commerce business on the horizon. 

For additional information on Buddy Valastro, please visit www.carlosbakery.com or follow @buddyvalastro on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok or @cakebossbuddy on Twitter.

The ASHT Annual Meeting is right around the corner and today we are joined by Kim Kraft, PT, DPT, CHT, the 2022 Annual Meeting Program Chair. If you have not had the opportunity to attend the meeting in person, this year will be the year to come. Kim gives us the inside scoop on what to expect at this year’s meeting: the pre-conference presentations; how the plenary sessions and concurrent sessions work; and even opportunities to network with other therapists. If you cannot join us - no worries! The hybrid option has returned again this year. Kim and her team have put a lot of hard work into this year’s meeting and you do not want to miss it!

Guest Bio:

Since graduate school in Atlanta GA (Emory University), Kim has pursued interest in shoulders leading to a gratifying 26-year (and counting) career in upper extremity rehabilitation. Life adventures with college sweetheart Peter and daughter Gabrielle have led to clinical practice in New Jersey, Indiana and currently Oregon. Hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding yield opportunities for reflection and enjoying the spiritual beauty of nature in the Pacific Northwest. Kim currently serves as the ASHT 2022 Annual Meeting Chair and Board Member-at-Large.

On this episode, we are joined by James Northcutt, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, to discuss brachial plexus birth injuries. James is the coordinator of the brachial plexus program at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. We discuss several aspects of this diagnosis from evaluation at birth or soon after, how to address the needs of these children, and some of the interventions these kids might receive to address their impairments. He also gives us some great therapy treatment ideas and how to help these children from infancy to adulthood.

Guest Bio:

My career began in adult hand at Bay Area Rehabilitation Center in Baytown and after two years I applied for a position at Shriners Hospital despite not having the credentials they were seeking. Shriners took a chance on me, and I fell in love with caring for tiny humans. Five years in to practice I was given the opportunity to serve as the brachial plexus clinic coordinator and hand therapist at Texas Children's Hospital, a role I've been in for five years. 

I am an adjunct professor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Texas Woman’s University lecturing on brachial plexus birth palsy, anatomy of the upper extremity and helping out in the cadaver lab. Special interests include innovation in care through a collaboration with the Engineering Program at Rice University and custom orthosis design for pediatric patients. 

 I enjoy woodworking and building lamps out of antique appliances when time allows, and my weekends are filled with family activities. I am honored to be considered for the ASHT podcast and hope to give back to the profession that has given me so much joy. I am married to my beautiful and brilliant wife Leah, who is the greater of two therapists in our home. We have two crazy boys Isaac (3) and Evan (1) who keep us on our toes and are responsible for most of my gray hair.

Kris Valdes is an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist who has made extensive contributions to the hand and upper extremity profession. She is also a past president of ASHT. Kris has a widespread knowledge of treatment of distal radius fractures, specifically looking at proprioceptive input. In this episode, she defines that for us and gives helpful information on how to assess this in your patients as well as how to address it to ensure optimal rehabilitation.

Referenced material:

Journal of Hand TherapyVol. 29Issue 2p154–165Published online: December 11, 2015

·      Christos Karagiannopoulos

·      Susan Michlovitz

Journal of Hand TherapyVol. 26Issue 3p204–215Published online: April 29, 2013

·      Christos Karagiannopoulos

·      Michael Sitler

·      Susan Michlovitz

·      Ryan Tierney

Guest Bio:

Kristin Valdes OTD, OT, CHT, is an associate professor at Touro University in Henderson, Nevada. She is a past president of the American Society of Hand Therapists. She was in private practice for over thirty years and specialized in the treatment and rehabilitation of the upper extremity. Kristin has published over seventy peer-reviewed studies. Dr. Valdes received her OTD degree with a specialization in hand rehabilitation from Rocky Mountain University of Health Care Professions in Provo, Utah

We are joined by Gayle Severance and Danielle Zook, both occupational therapists and Certified Hand Therapists with Penn Good Shepherd in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are no strangers to treating patients who have sustained complex traumatic injuries and they share their wisdom with us. They share tips on how to prioritize your evaluation and treatment sessions to maximize outcomes and provide some great advice on how to be an advocate for your patient.

Guest Bios

Gayle Severance, MS, OT/L, CHT

Gayle Severance MS, OT/L, CHT received her Occupational Therapy degree from

Tufts University in 2000 and a certificate in Hand and Upper Extremity

Rehabilitation from Drexel University in 2004. Gayle practices in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania and is the Hand Therapy Team Leader for Good Shepherd Penn

Partners, the official rehab provider for Penn Medicine. Her expertise is in the area

of elbows, wrists and hands. She helped develop the therapy program for Penn’s

Hand and Upper Extremity Transplant Program and serves as the lead therapist.

Gayle is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists, the

American Association of Hand Surgery and the American Society for Surgery of the

Hand. In 2014 She has participated in international medical missions including her

travel to Kumasi, Ghana as the AAHS Vargas Award recipient. She continued to

support the site as co-project director for Health Volunteers Overseas until 2017.

She has published on the subject of hand therapy and presents at conferences on

the international, national and local level.

Team Lead Occupational Therapist

Specialties

Musculoskeletal

Hand, Wrist and Elbow

Danielle Zook OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CHT

Danielle is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with over eight years of experience treating upper extremity diagnoses. She recently completed her Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate, specializing in Teaching and Learning, at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Her expertise is in the evaluation and treatment of the hand, wrist, and elbow. Danielle has assisted in teaching the American Society of Hand Therapists Hands-on Orthotics Course, and has served as adjunct faculty at the University of the Sciences teaching a hand therapy course. She has also acted as a lab assistant and provided guest lectures at local Occupational Therapy programs on hand therapy interventions, ergonomics, functional movement analysis, and thermal agent modalities. Danielle is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists as well as the American Association for Hand Surgery. She has been published on the evaluation and treatment of complex trauma in the upper extremity.

On this episode, Jill Yanick, OTR/L, CHT joins us to discuss a variety of tools that you might have in your toolbox or may be interested in adding. We discuss utilizing cupping/myofascial release and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization. We also discuss an introduction to blood flow restriction for the upper extremity, dry needling and taping. Jill offers us some great thoughts on how these tools can be an adjunct in your clinical practice.

Guest Bio:

Jill is an OT/CHT currently working for ProFlex Physical Therapy in Maryland where she serves as the Director of Education and Clinical Competency. Jill currently serves on ASHT’s Education Division as the Mentoring Program Liaison in addition to lecturing for the UE Institute. She has a strong passion for mentorship and clinical education as a means to help grow the profession of hand therapy

On this episode we are joined by Marty Walsh, OTR/L, CHT, the executive director of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission. Marty answers all of our questions about the Certified Hand Therapy Exam and gives some great insight as to how the questions are developed and how HTCC ensures that the designation of CHT maintains its high level of respect. 

Guest Bio:

Martin Walsh, OTR/L, CHT became the Executive Director of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) in 2013. He joined the HTCC staff in 2004 as the Manager of Examination Services. He has been involved with HTCC as a volunteer since 1998, serving several terms as an item writer and then as an item writer mentor. Marty was appointed to the Examination Committee and Disciplinary Review Committee in 2002 and has been actively involved in all aspects of examination development.

A Certified Hand Therapist since 1992, Marty received most of his training and experience in hand therapy at Davies Medical Center in San Francisco, working with the microsurgeons and therapists at Davies Medical Center. He continues to have a passion for the treatment of patients with traumatic injuries to the hand and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. Marty has lectured both at home and abroad on the topic of complex injuries to the hand. Marty has also volunteered his time working with patients and teaching therapists in South America. He has traveled to Colombia, Bolivia and Peru and has been active with the organization Resurge. In 2010 Marty received the Paul Brand Award of Professional Excellence from the American Society of Hand Therapists.

On this episode, we are joined by Amy Lindsey, a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who has lived the experience of being a patient in a hand therapy clinic.  When she was a teenager, Amy was involved in an accident that left her with significant injuries to both of her hands. She spent extensive time working to regain functional use of her upper extremities and was inspired by her therapists to become a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist.

Guest bio: Amy Lindsey, PT, CHT is a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who works closely with patients with various upper extremity orthopedic injuries.  She realized her dream of becoming a therapist in 1993 after being in a severe MVA and losing the use of both hands. Through a year of physical therapy and 13+ orthopedic and cosmetic surgeries to regain use of her hands, she developed a great understanding and empathy for the people who have gone through a traumatic injury.  Amy received a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 1999 and Masters of Physical Therapy in 2001 from Saint Louis University and has been working as a physical therapist specializing in the treatment of upper extremity injuries.  She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2007 and truly became a hand therapist with “first hand” experience.  She decided to broaden her scope of practice and return to treatment of lower extremity injuries in 2015 after moving to Houston, TX while growing the hand therapy program in the Northeast Region for Memorial Hermann. Amy currently lives in Kingwood, TX and is a wife to husband of 23 years and mother to her 2 boys, ages 21 & 18.  In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, lifting weights, walking/hiking, various outdoor activities and spending time with her family.

On this episode of Hands in Motion we are joined by Mia Erickson, PT, CHT, EdD and Marsha Lawrence, PT, DPT, CHT - both physical therapists and certified hand therapists - to discuss knowledge translation. We discuss what it is, how it is different from evidence-based practice and how it currently and will continue to effect treatment in hand therapy. 

Reference Links

CPG’s

1. AAOS Quality Programs and Guidelines: https://www.aaos.org/quality/quality-programs/upper-extremity-programs/

1. AOTA Evidence Based Practice Resources (includes systematic reviews, critically appraised topics, practice guidelines, evidence infographics): AOTA EBP Resources

2. APTA Clinical Practice Guidelines: List of published CPG's

3. APTA Evidence Based Practice Resources: (includes tests and measures, clinical summaries, interventions and link to CPG’s in progress) APTA EBP Resources

4. Choose Wisely: Choose Wisely Clinician List

5. Choose Wisely: Choose Wisely patient list

6. ECRI Guidelines Trust: https://guidelines.ecri.org/

7. JOSPT Published CPG list: https://www.jospt.org/topic/clinpracguide?code=jospt-site

Guest Bio:

Marsha Lawrence has been a PT for over 40 years, a CHT since 1991 and earned her

DPT in 2019. She has practiced hand rehabilitation in a variety of settings on the

East Coast and in the Midwest. She served on ASHT’s Board of Directors as the Practice Division Director and as a Board Member at-Large. She presently serves as the Practice Affairs Coordinator for the APTA Academy of Hand and Upper Extremity, their Chief Delegate to the APTA’s House of Delegates, the Federal Affairs Liaison for the Academy, serves on APTA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee and on the Board of Directors for the American Hand Therapy Foundation.

Happy Occupational Therapy Month to all of our OT listeners! On this episode, we are joined by Parker Gregory, OTR/L, CHT, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, and Dillon Pittman, COTA, a certified occupational therapy assistant. We discuss the role of a COTA in a hand therapy practice, the collaborative relationship between an OT and COTA and the process of bridging from being a COTA to an occupational therapist. 

Guest Bio:

Parker Gregory is an occupational therapist and a certified hand therapist. He graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2014 and has been practicing in outpatient hand therapy for the last eight years, serving as clinic director in multiple clinics much of that time. He is currently practicing hand therapy with Crossroads Rehabilitation in North Mississippi. Parker has special interests and/or certifications in Dry Needling, Impairment Rating Recommendations, orthosis fabrication and wound care. Additionally, he is the founder and co-owner of The Upper Hand, LLC, a social media brand that aims to educate students and therapists alike about all things OT and all things hand. 

Dillon Pittman is an occupational therapy assistant (OTA). He graduated from the OTA program at Itawamba Community College in 2016 and is currently pursuing his Master of Science in occupational therapy from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Dillon has practiced in outpatient hand therapy for five years and is currently on staff at Crossroads Rehabilitation in North Mississippi. Aside from orthopedics, his areas of special interest are pediatrics, mental health and OT in the community. In addition to his clinic time at Crossroads, Dillon films and edits content for The Upper Hand LLC, a YouTube channel and social media brand that he co-founded with Parker Gregory in 2020. He also serves as an active member of the OTA advisory board at Itawamba Community College.

We are excited to be joined by Susie Touchinsky, OTR/L, SCDCM, CDRS, an occupational therapist who is also a certified driving rehab specialist. Have you ever worked with a patient who has sustained a life altering injury but wants or needs to return to driving independently and you aren’t quite sure if they are ready for that? That is where Susie comes in. She brings her expertise as an occupational therapist and looks at the entire person to determine what is safe, if any adaptive equipment is needed, or if ultimately they are not safe to get behind the wheel. She discusses all of this and more. 

Resources:

Facebook: Driving Rehab for the OT:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OTDrivingRehab

Facebook: Adaptive Mobility Services:

https://www.facebook.com/drivingOT

Website: https://adaptivemobility.thinkific.com/

Podcast: OT Driving with Susie:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2JVIBs7fdva9nCOPSJfSRR

Directories:

·     Adaptive Mobility https://adaptivemobility.com/ot-driver-rehabilitation-specialist-directory/

·     AOTA aota.org

·     ADED aded.net

Guest Full Name Including Credentials:

Susie is an occupational therapist & certified driver rehabilitation specialist and owner of Adaptive Mobility Services, LLC. She offers extensive clinical and professional knowledge with over 20 years of experience as an OT & driver rehab specialist. In her private practice, Susie loves working with clients to support their highest and safest level of engagement in mobility and teaching other occupational therapists how to become driver rehab specialists. She has volunteered for over 10 years with CarFit, serving as a CarFit instructor and the Pennsylvania CarFit Coordinator. She is a published author, adjunct professor, lecturer, podcaster and mentor. 

In short, Susie is a self-proclaimed driving geek who uses her training to live her mission of providing exceptional care for all drivers and education for occupational therapy practitioners.

On our third episode of our Fellowship Series, we are joined by Peggy Faussett, MOTR/L, CHT. Peggy is an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, which recently developed a pediatric hand therapy fellowship that will admit its first fellow at the end of this summer. Peggy discusses the process of developing a fellowship, how she worked with her institution for financial and administrative support, the curriculum of the fellowship, and the various learning opportunities the fellow will have.

Guest Bio: Peggy Faussett, MOTR/L, CHT received her Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science from Creighton University in Omaha, NE in 1999 and her Masters of Occupational Therapy from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2001. She became a certified hand therapist in 2012. he works at Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) as the Pediatric Hand Therapy Program Coordinator and Fellowship Coordinator in the department of Occupational Therapy. She and her team of eight CHT's and four pediatric OT's work with patients from new babies to young adults with upper extremity congenital, traumatic, and systemic conditions. Together they provide hand therapy services in the NICU, in-patient, emergency room, operating room, out-patient clinics, and multidisciplinary clinics at multiple CHCO locations across Colorado. She has presented on topics related to pediatric hand therapy nationally and internationally. She serves locally on the board for the Denver Hand SIG and nationally for ASHT Education Division Pediatric Committee.

On the second episode of our Fellowship Series, we are joined by Kristen Slone, MSOT, OTR, an occupational therapist who completed a hand and upper extremity therapy fellowship in Houston, TX this past year. Kristen shares with us her many experiences from her fellowship in an outpatient orthopedic setting, including the opportunities she had to shadow surgeons in the office and operating room, orthoses she fabricated, and how she eventually transitioned from a fellow to a full-time staff therapist.

Guest Bio:

Kristen Cullers Slone, MSOT, OTR is an occupational therapist at Houston Methodist Sports and Orthopedics in Clear Lake, TX. Kristen completed the Houston Methodist Hand Fellowship in July of 2021. Raised in Wharton, Texas, she completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University and her master’s degree at Abilene Christian University. Driven by her interest in hand and upper extremity therapy, she takes pride in proving the best care to her patients and plans to take the CHT Exam this year. Outside of work, Kristen enjoys playing tennis and taking care of Brahman cattle on her family’s ranch.   

We are kicking off a series of episodes on hand and upper extremity therapy fellowships. On this episode, we are joined by the two current hand and upper extremity therapy fellows from Johns Hopkins. They share with us how their fellowship is structured, what their typical week is like, and educational opportunities both in the clinic and out. If you are considering applying for a fellowship, they both give great advice as to what to consider when choosing a fellowship to apply for.

Guest Bio:

Hannah Enright is from St. Louis, MO that earned her undergraduate degree at Missouri State University. She graduated from OT school in December 2019 from Maryville University in St. Louis. She began her practice specializing in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation at Select Physical Therapy before beginning her hand therapy fellowship at Johns Hopkins University beginning in September 2021. Clinical interests include trauma-informed care, orthotics, wound care, flexor tendon repairs and nerve transfers.

Rachel Park is an occupational therapist from Los Angeles, CA and a current hand therapy fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her BA in sociology, Master’s and Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degrees at the University of Southern California in 2017, 2019, and 2020 respectively. She began her journey in specializing in hand therapy at a private, outpatient clinic in Santa Monica, CA called Hands on OT and hopes to achieve her educational goal of earning a certification in hand therapy (CHT). Her clinical interests include pain management, return to meaningful activities, and post-operative rehabilitation.

Nora Barrett, OTR/L, CHT, WCC joins us to talk about wound care in hand and upper extremity therapy and her recent journey to obtain her certification in wound care. She gives us the most up-to-date information on assessing and treating wounds, and also shares some clinical pearls of what to do, what not to do and how we as hand therapists can advocate for our patients and their wounds.

Guest Bio:

Nora has been a practicing occupational therapist since 1998 and a certified hand therapist since 2006. She spent her early career as an inpatient therapist at rehabilitation centers, acute care hospitals and burn units in Boston, MA and Washington, DC before focusing on outpatient hands in Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and Bend, OR. Nora moved to Charlottesville, VA in 2021 and joined the Hand Therapy Team at the University of Virginia Physicians Group where she works in the Hand Center and in an outpatient hand therapy practice. She received her Wound Care Certification in 2020 and is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) and the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS). She lectures routinely in wound care, burn therapy, trauma and peripheral nerve injury for ASHT, AAHS and various universities across the country.

References :

• Wound Care References
• Baranoski S, Ayello E. Wound Care Essentials: Practice Principles. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015.
• Broussard KC, Powers, et al. Wound dressings: selecting the most appropriate type. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2013; 14(6):449-459.
• Eming S. Biology of Wound Healing. In: Bolognia JL, Schaffer JV, Cerroni L. Dermatology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:2413-2424.e1.
• Lammers RL, Aldy KN. Principles of Wound Management. In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB.
• Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:621-654.
• Leaper DJ, Schultz G, Carville K, Fletcher J, Swanson T, Drake R. Extending the TIME concept: what have we learned in the past 10 years? International Wound Journal. 2014; 9 (Suppl.2):1-19.
• McVeigh K, Herman M, Barrett N. Physiology of Wound Healing and Burns. In: Test Prep for the CHT Exam. 4th ed. American Society of Hand Therapists; 2021.
• Myers BA. Wound Management: Principles and Practices. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2020.
• Newell KA. Wound Closure. In: Dehn R, Asprey D. Essential Clinical Procedures. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:325-348.
• Norman G, Dumville JC, Mohapatra DP, Owens GL, Crosbie EJ. Antibiotics and antiseptics for surgical wound healing by secondary intention (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016; 3. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011712.pub.2.
• Parrish KP, Barrett NE. Wound classification and management. In: Skirven TM, Osterman LA,
• Fedorczyk JM, Amadio PC, Feldscher SB, Shin EK. Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:196-209.
• Sen CK, Roy S, Gordillo G. Wound Healing. In: Gurtner GC, Neligan PC. Plastic Surgery: Volume 1: Principles. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:165-195.e7.

On this episode we talk with Alessia Kerner, OTR/L, CHT, who was instrumental in developing a new format for the ASHT Upper Extremity Institute. We discuss how the Upper Extremity Institute was first developed and how it can be a great resource for new grads or seasoned therapists who are new to hand therapy. Alessia also gives us a preview of what’s to come with the Upper Extremity Institute.

Guest Bio:

Alessia is a graduate of Quinnipiac University with a degree in occupational therapy. After practicing in adult rehabilitation, Alessia specialized in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation and became a CHT in 2005. Currently, she practices in an outpatient clinic in Southern California. 

Since 2014, Alessia has volunteered with ASHT on both the Practice and Education Divisions, most recently acting as chair of the Upper Extremity Institute. In addition to her volunteer work with ASHT, she serves as the President of the Hand Therapy Society of Greater Orange County. 

When not doing activities related to hand therapy, Alessia is most often found spending time with family and friends. She loves being outdoors, trying new foods, reading, traveling, and crafting with wood, fabric, or metal.

Lynn Bassini, MA, OTR, CHT, founder of the Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation, joins us to share her love and passion for helping the people of this nation. Each year, she takes a team of surgeons and therapists to perform surgery and postop care as well as educate medical personnel in Guatemala. She shares with us how the Foundation started, the mission of the organization, and what to expect if you were to join her for a mission trip to Guatemala.

Guest Bio:

Originally from Guatemala City, Lynn graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1977 with a BS in Occupational Therapy and in 1982 a Masters in Biomechanics and Ergonomics from New York University. She has been a hand therapist since the foundation of the American Society of Hand Therapists in 1977. From 1979 to 1982 she was a therapist and chief at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. 

Lynn has been in private practice for over 40 years, specializing in both adult and pediatric patients with upper extremity injuries and challenges.

In 1991 Lynn passed the first certification in hand therapy ever offered and later became an item writer for the Hand Certification Exam.

She has presented at many conferences and published several research papers and book chapter co-authored with a hand surgeon. In 1998 she became the recipient of the Vargas Award and traveled with Dr. Alan Freeland to Venezuela. In 2001 she was asked to serve a three year term in the Board of the AAHS and in 2004 organized and led the Vargas mission to Guatemala. Lynn was awarded the 2006 Paul Brand Award and the American Association for Hand Surgery Humanitarian Award in 2016.

In 2004 Lynn founded The Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation (GHHF/Guatemalahands.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and availability of health care in Guatemala through education, hand surgery, hand therapy and community assistance. We have completed 13 missions and planning our next 

mission tentative Nov 2022. Several children needing critical surgery were also identified during our missions. We assisted in getting the authorizations to operate in the US thanks to our network of dedicated professionals. GHHF’s projects between missions continue which include supporting a village through the critical times of covid, food, shelter and health insecurity while providing continued educational and clinic support to the children of Chichoy Alto, in Guatemala.  

In 2021 Lynn relocated to Los Angeles and is now working for Select Physical Therapy.

On this episode, we are joined by April Cowan, OTR, OTD, CHT to discuss grant funding that the American Hand Therapy Foundation (AHTF) has to offer. AHTF has funding available for research and educational purposes. Often, this funding is not awarded because there are no applications received. April shares with us the various grants that are awarded by the AHTF and how to apply and make your application stand out. 

A grant for a novice researcher: 

https://www.ahtf.org/grants/burkhalter-new-investigator-grant/

 A grant for the experienced researcher:

 https://www.ahtf.org/grants/asht-founders-award/

Researchers seeking seed funds or to complete a pilot study: 

https://www.ahtf.org/grants/judy-bell-krotoski-grab-the-evidence-award/

Guest Bio:

April C. Cowan, OTD, OTR, CHT, graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1990. She achieved the Certified Hand Therapist specialization in 2002 and earned a post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy in 2012. Dr. Cowan is a faculty member within the Occupational Therapy Department in the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is an Associate Professor and teaches classes in the management of upper extremity conditions, capstone project development, and evidence-based practice. Her teaching duties include development and delivery of educational curricula to both entry-level and post-professional doctoral students, including functioning as the Program Director for the post-professional program. She advises students on the completion of systematic reviews and clinical capstone projects in upper extremity rehabilitation. She engages in hand therapy clinical practice in the university-sponsored clinic for underserved persons in the local community. A favored professional accomplishment is her work as the Director of Grants for the American Hand Therapy Foundation.

On this episode, we are joined by Corey McGee, an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who has dedicated a significant portion of his career researching first CMC osteoarthritis. He shares with us some of the latest therapy interventions and thought paradigms when addressing thumb osteoarthritis as well as what is on the horizon. 

Guest bio: Corey McGee, PhD, MS, OTR/L, CHT is an Associate Professor and Research Chair in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Minnesota. There he studies hand therapy assessments and interventions for persons with hand osteoarthritis; teaches courses in orthotic fabrication, hand therapy practice, and anatomy and kinesiology; and mentors post-docs and PhD and OTD students. There he also serves as the academic coordinator for the MHealth-University of MN Hand Therapy Fellowship. Beyond this, Corey is an invited international speaker, the 2019 Nathalie Barr Lectureship Awardee, has received ASHT awards for best poster, best presentation, and best surgeon-therapist collaborative research project, and has been recognized as the Minnesota OT Association’s “OT of the Year” and “Researcher of the Year”. Corey has served as an editorial board member of the Journal of Hand Therapy; an ASHT research division member; a grant reviewer for the American Hand Therapy Foundation; and a peer-reviewer for numerous rehabilitation, engineering, and surgery journals.    

On this episode of Hands in Motion, we are joined by Rebecca Gillett, MS, OTR/L with the Arthritis Foundation. We discuss the mission of the foundation and how the foundation is working to educate both individuals affected by arthritis and the clinicians who treat them. We learn about the wide variety of resources they have available on their website specifically for this population.

Below are several links that are referenced in the show.

Main website: www.arthritis.org

Vim pain app: (download Vim Pain App from your app store) Find info and links at www.arthritis.org/vim

Podcast: www.arthritis.org/liveyes/podcast

YES (Your Exercise Solution) Resource: www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/getting-started/your-exercise-solution

Walk with Ease program: https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/walking/walk-with-ease

Ease of Use: https://www.arthritis.org/partnership/ease-of-use

Guest Bio:

Rebecca Gillett, MS OTR/L is a licensed occupational therapist with extensive experience working with both children and adults.

Rebecca is the Director of Content Strategy and Planning at the Arthritis Foundation and hosts the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast. It’s her job to ensure the resources and education produced at the Arthritis Foundation have patient voices, questions, and concerns at their center. She earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University and her Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication from the University of Florida.

Her clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist in a variety of settings provides her with a broad knowledge of skills, but she also brings her personal experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, giving her a unique perspective as a health care professional. She also teaches continuing education courses to other therapists related to arthritis interventions.

Prior to her OT career, she worked in broadcast journalism and marketing. She has been featured in AOTA’s OT Practice publication for her efforts to grow the field of OT to help others with rheumatic diseases. 

On this episode we are joined by Aviva Wolff, EdD, OT, CHT who has taken a special interest in working with injured musicians. She has had the opportunity to work with musicians of all skill levels who play all types of musical instruments. We discuss the unique characteristics of musicians and the types of injuries they sustain as well as the importance of a thorough assessment to fully understand their craft.

Aviva references two articles she authored, and the links are below:

Return to Play Guide Following Injury:

https://www.musichandstherapy.com/return-to-play/2021/9/30/return-to-play-guide-following-injury

Source: http://www.musichandstherapy.com/

A Musician-centered Approach to Management of Performance-related Upper Musculoskeletal Injuries

https://www.jhandtherapy.org/article/S0894-1130(21)00053-3/fulltext

Source: http://www.jhandtherapy.org/

Guest Bio:

Aviva Wolff, EdD, OT, CHT is an occupational therapist and clinician-scientist with a strong background in motor control and movement analysis and extensive experience working with performing artists and individuals with musculoskeletal injuries. She currently consults for the Julliard School and runs the upper extremity clinical movement analysis programs and hand and wrist biomechanics research at the Leon Root, MD Motion Analysis Laboratory at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Her research interest is the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal occupational overuse injuries through personalized approaches that are patient and occupation centered. She utilizes quantitative and qualitative analysis of upper extremity movement dysfunction to generate data to better inform surgery therapy and performance. Her passion project is to promote musculoskeletal health and wellness through formalized education programs to avoid musculoskeletal occupational overuse injuries in musicians.

Her research has focused on upper extremity injury prevention in musicians, wrist biomechanics and function, elbow biomechanics and function, hand and arm function in brachial plexus injury and cerebral palsy. She has independently led and collaborated with orthopedic surgeons, scientists, and biomechanists on several funded studies that have led to multiple presentations and publications.

Dr. Wolff has served in various leadership capacities in multiple professional organizations.

This week, we celebrate Veteran’s Day and are so fortunate to be joined on this episode by an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist who serves in the United States Air Force. We discuss the role of a hand therapist in the military, her unique journey from civilian status to being commissioned, and how a hand therapist contributes to the overall mission of the United States Military.

Guest Bio:

Major Brosseau is the Executive Officer and Instructor of Biology, Department of Biology, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO. She and her team design and implement biology coursework designed to create awareness, appreciation, and an understanding of science and the principles of scientific reasoning for Academy Cadets. She is an instructor of Human Anatomy & Physiology and the Course Director for Biomechanics. Major Brosseau received a direct commission to the Air Force as an Occupational Therapist in 2012. She has served in numerous medical operational support assignments, including Element Chief of Occupational Therapy and Chiropractics at the 60th Medical Group, Travis AFB, and the 10th Medical Group, United States Air Force Academy. She was selected for physician extender training in the management of complex hand injuries through AFIT and is now is the primary consultant to the Air Force for specialized upper extremity orthopedic rehabilitation. In addition to this, she has performed as adjunct faculty to the Air Force’s sole Physical Therapy Fellowship for four years. In 2019, she was awarded Adjunct Faculty of the Year and was published in the leading upper extremity post-operative rehabilitation textbook. In 2021, she was bestowed the honor of Biomedical Sciences Educator of the Year.

Join Cara Smith, PT, DPT, CHT and Stephanie Strouse, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, “Hands in Motion” podcast hosts, as they recap the 2021 Annual Meeting in a special bonus podcast episode! This year’s ASHT Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO was the first hybrid model offering both a live and virtual option for attendees, which proved to be a success. On this episode, Cara and Stephanie speak with a variety of course attendees including students, seasoned presenters, ASHT board members and ASHT staff members on a variety of topics. Listen to the attendees’ thoughts on the meeting content, the unveiling of the new ASHT logo, and more!

Host Bios:

Stephanie Strouse, OTD, OTR/L, CHT

Stephanie has been practicing occupational therapy for over 28 years with the majority of her practice dedicated to the treatment of hand and upper extremity injuries. She graduated in 1992 with an associates degree in Applied Science and progressed to earn her bachelors degree in 2002 and doctoral degree in 2015. In 2016, she earned the designation of Certified Hand Therapist and has continued to practice in an outpatient setting.

Stephanie is actively involved in the Education Division for the American Society of Hand Therapists since 2015 and served as an ASHT board intern in 2018. Stephanie is also a mother of three children and owns her own yoga studio and enjoys boating, hiking, crafting and spending down time with her family.

Cara Smith, PT, DPT, CHT

Cara graduated from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center with a Master of Physical Therapy in 2007. She completed the Evelyn J. Mackin Hand Therapy Fellowship in 2010 and became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2013. In 2020, she earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University.

Cara is the Hand Therapy Program Coordinator at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The majority of her clinical practice has been in pediatric orthopedics, working alongside orthopedic surgeons in multidisciplinary clinics taking care of children with congenital and acquired conditions, as well as traumatic injuries.