We are excited to welcome our guest on this episode, Danielle Sparks. Danielle is our 2025-2026 ASHT president. During her incoming presidential address at the Annual Meeting, Danielle challenged us to consider how we can be advocates for our specialty and our patients. There are many challenges we face daily, but she shares with us how small, atomic changes can have a lasting effect.  

Guest Bio:

Danielle Sparks, DHS, MOT, OTR, CHT is a highly experienced occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with a strong clinical background in upper extremity rehabilitation. With over 15 years in the field, Danielle has spent her career at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center, where she has served as the Director of Therapy since 2017. 

Danielle graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2007 with a Biology degree. She earned a Master of Occupational Therapy in 2009 and then post professionally a Doctorate of Health Science in 2017, both from the University of Indianapolis. Danielle earned her Certified Hand Therapist credential in 2015. 

Passionate about advocacy and legislative and regulatory aspects of practicing hand therapy, Danielle has been a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists since 2012 and has been a volunteer in the Practice Division since 2017, serving as the chair from 2020-2023 and currently is serving in the ASHT Presidential line 2023-2027. Currently, Danielle is the current President for ASHT. 

Danielle enjoys attending courses related to upper extremity rehabilitation and the opportunity to learn from and interact with colleagues. When not involved in work related activities, Danielle enjoys traveling, kayaking, hiking, golfing, and spending time with family and her two German Shepherds.  

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.

On this episode, we are joined by Tara Packham, an occupational therapist who has worked for many years in upper extremity rehabilitation and is now educating the next generation of occupational therapists. Tara recognizes the impact social media has had on knowledge mobilization and she shares with us how clinicians, researchers and educators are utilizing social media and other digital platforms to educate their colleagues, patients and students. 

Guest Bio: Tara Packham, PhD, OTReg(Ont) is an occupational therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience in hand and upper limb rehabilitation, and an associate professor in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario Canada. Tara’s program of research focuses on assessing and addressing persistent pain, and continuing to advance the global field of hand rehabilitation. She is passionate about moving evidence into practice and helping therapists to adopt and apply new research to advance clinical care. Tara has published and presented extensively for both hand rehabilitation and pain management audiences on persistent pain conditions impacting the upper extremity. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Special Interest Group for CRPS at the International Association for the Study of Pain, on the editorial board of the Journal of Hand Therapy, and as Editor-in-Chief at Hand Therapy (official journal of the British Association for Hand Therapists and European Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy). 

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.

On this episode, we are joined by Marty Walsh, Keri Landrieu and Karol Young to discuss the HTCC Practice Analysis. The examination to become a Certified Hand Therapist isn’t put together overnight. There is a lot of work that goes into developing the examination questions, ensuring they are testing knowledge and application of practice standards in hand therapy.  Marty, Keri and Karol share with us how HTCC develops the exam blueprint from feedback received from hand therapists, how questions are developed and evaluated for their rigor, accuracy and consistency, and how the examination is maintained year after year.  

Guest Bios:

Martin Walsh, OTR/L, CHT has been the Executive Director of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) since 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 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 a regional trauma center in San Francisco working with patients with 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. 

Keri Landrieu, LOTR, CHT became an occupational therapist in 1989, leading her to a hand therapy fellowship and her Certified Hand Therapist certification in 1994.  Her experience in hand therapy includes working with her mentor surgeon in his practice and 15 years as a partner in a private hand therapy practice. Her dedication to the field extends to the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC), spanning nearly three decades, starting as an item writer in 1996, leading to a board membership six years later, and various leadership roles. For the past 14 years, Keri has directed HTCC’s exam operations, managing the item bank and exam processes. This year, she is honored to serve as HTCC's President.

Karol S. Young, OTD, OTR/L, CHT has been an occupational therapist since 1990 and a Certified Hand Therapist since 1997. After working in a variety of outpatient settings, her passion for lifelong learning led her to the OT program at Thomas Jefferson University where she completed her doctoral degree in 2015. Karol has authored publications for the Hand Therapy Certification Committee and the American Society of Hand Therapists, contributed to several textbooks, and is an adjunct instructor and guest lecturer in several graduate level occupational therapy programs. Karol is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists and is a board member for the Hand Therapy Certification Commission, serving as the Chair of the Practice Analysis Committee. Karol currently is in private practice outside of Asheville, NC.

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed"

On this episode, we are joined by the 2025 ASHT Pediatric Specialty Day co-chairs, Emily Ho and Meagan Pehnke. They give us all of the inside information on what we can expect at this year’s Pediatric Specialty Day. They discuss the layout of the meeting, the educational offerings, and the opportunities for networking with our fellow pediatric upper extremity specialists. Welcome to Hands in Motion, Emily and Meagan.

Guest bios:

Emily S. Ho, PhD, MEd, OT Reg. (Ont.) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. She is a clinician investigator and an advanced practice clinician on the SickKids Upper Limb Pediatric Team (SKULPT) at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.

Meagan Pehnke, MS, OTR/L, CHT, CLT is an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She serves as a clinical specialist within the OT department and a researcher on the Hand and Upper Extremity Orthopaedics Team, with a focused interest in congenital differences and brachial plexus birth injuries (BPBI). Meagan specializes in pediatric hand therapy and plays an integral role in both the Brachial Plexus and Orthopaedics Clinics, providing expert care and contributing to the advancement of clinical research.

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed"

On this episode, we are joined by Mike Mueller, an occupational therapist, Certified Hand Therapist and exercise scientist who has taken a special interest in treating female athletes across the lifespan. We discuss unique characteristics of female athletes, common injuries we are seeing in this population and how we as upper extremity specialists can help to return these athletes to their sport. 

Guest Bio: Mike Mueller, OTR, CHT is a staff hand therapist at Rothman Orthopaedics in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has over 30 years of experience in upper extremity rehabilitation in a variety of settings.  He is an occupational therapist, Certified Hand Therapist and an exercise scientist with extensive experience utilizing the kinetic chain approach and its application to upper extremity rehabilitation and performance. He has a special area of interest in the management of the athlete’s upper extremity injuries and has extensive experience with athletes from the youth to the professional levels. Mike has presented on multiple topics at state, national and international conferences.  He is a member of The American Society of Hand Therapists, American Occupational Therapy Association, American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, and American Baseball Biomechanics Society.

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed"

Things are a little different on this episode of Hands in Motion. As you may already notice, Cara Smith is in the guest seat today and will be the one answering the questions, not asking them! Cara is the Annual Meeting Committee Chair for this year’s ASHT Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT. On this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of the conference, including educational Pre-Conference Institutes, special guests, poster sessions and, of course, the fun social and networking events we have planned!

Guest Bio: Cara has been practicing as a physical therapist since 2007 and became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2013. 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 surgeons in multidisciplinary clinics taking care of children with congenital and acquired hand conditions as well as traumatic injuries. Cara serves on several divisions and committees with ASHT and is one of the co-hosts for the ASHT podcast, “Hands in Motion”.

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed"

On this episode, we are joined by Kimberly Masker, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapy, and Tauni Bird, also an occupational therapist who have been researching and educating others on treating patients in the context of substance use.  They share with us what substance use disorder is, the stigma that surrounds these patients, and what we as hand therapists can do to mitigate that stigma and provide harm reduction.  Welcome to Hands in Motion, Kim and Tauni.

Guest bio: Kimberly Masker, OTD, OTR/L, CHT received her undergraduate degree from ETSU in 1995, her Master’s in OT degree from Washington University in 2000, and received her post-professional doctorate in OT from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) in 2015. She earned her Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) specialty certification in 2007. She is an assistant professor in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at East Tennessee State University. Kim’s clinical practice is as senior therapist at The Hand Center at Bristol Regional Medical Center in Tennessee. Her professional interests have focused on hypermobility, wound care, upper extremity multi-trauma, substance use disorders and stigma, and treatment of musicians. She enjoys writing for various hand therapy related publications and blogs. She serves as a consultant for Axogen on studies such as pain and peripheral nerve injuries. She currently serves as Secretary Treasurer of the Northeast District of the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association. She has volunteered for many years with the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), is co-editor of the 4th edition of the CHT Test Prep Book and Clinical Reference (2022), and is the current President of ASHT.

Tauni Bird, OTD, OTR/L (she/her) is an occupational therapist and hand and upper extremity therapist. She is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists, American Association for Hand Surgery, and American Occupational Therapy Association. She is interested in harm reduction and health equity. Her work on these topics includes conference presentations, non-research articles, and special grant projects. 

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.

We are joined by physical therapists Saurabh Mehta and Christos Karagiannopoulos, who – along with a team of therapists and surgeons – developed a clinical practice guideline for rehabilitation following distal radius fractures. They share with us how a CPG is developed, how the evidence is synthesized and how they came to their conclusions based on the evidence to provide recommendations for evaluation, interventions and prognosis.  

Guest Bios: 

Dr. Karagiannopoulos is a full-time associate professor at DeSales University DPT program with a current line of research on the assessment and management of wrist sensorimotor control impairment. He has earned a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Education, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology from Temple University. His master’s in physical therapy was earned from MCP-Hahnemann University (Drexel University) in 1999. Christos has dedicated his 20+ years clinical practice in orthopedic physical therapy and the rehabilitation of the upper extremity as a Certified Hand Therapist. He has dedicated his clinical research line on the wrist sensorimotor control impairment, developing the active wrist joint position sense test and its psychometric properties. Dr. Karagiannopoulos has published his most recent research work in the Journal of Hand Therapy, and he co-authored the most recent 2024 APTA Clinical Practice Guidelines on distal radius fracture rehabilitation in the JOSPT. He has also co-authored the 2020 AAOS Clinical Practice Guidelines for distal radius fracture management. Dr. Karagiannopoulos has lectured at various local, national, and international symposiums. He currently serves on the APTA Academy of Hand & Upper Extremity as a program co-chair and a member of the research committee. He is also a member of the Journal of Hand Therapy editorial board.

Dr. Mehta is a board-certified specialist in geriatric physical therapy and the Director of Research for the College of Health Sciences at East Tennessee State University. He has collaborated and published multiple data-based articles and systematic reviews in upper extremity rehabilitation, healthy aging, and improving physical functions in the elderly. Dr. Mehta recently led the efforts to develop ICF-based clinical practice guidelines for the rehabilitation of distal radius fractures. He is the chair of the Aging Research and Geriatric Rehabilitation Networking Group of the American College of Rehabilitation Medicine

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.

On this episode of Hands in Motion, we are joined by Thomas Berger — the recipient of the 2024 American Association for Hand Surgery Vargas International Hand Therapy Teaching Award. As a recipient of this prestigious award, Thomas traveled to Guatemala to provide hand therapy services, as well as educate local occupational and physical therapists on upper extremity rehabilitation. Thomas shares with us his experience serving in Guatemala and the support he received from AAHS. 

Guest Bio: Thomas Berger, DPT, CHT, is a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. He works at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL in the hand and upper limb clinic collaborating with a team of physicians and advanced practice providers. Thomas also serves as faculty for the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency at Mayo Clinic Florida, where he delivers annual education focused on the upper extremity. 

Thomas has shared his expertise at both national and international forums, including the annual meetings of American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS) and American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT). Thomas is the recipient of the AAHS 2023 Vargas Award, which he was honored to use for a medical mission trip withGuatemala Healing Hands Foundation. He presently holds positions on the ASHT Nominations Committee and the AAHS Vargas Committee.

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.

While in Washington, DC for the IFSSH and IFSHT Triennial Congress, Stephanie and Cara had the pleasure of sitting down with Lisa Newington, a physiotherapist and hand therapist from London to discuss sustainability and the efforts that the UK is taking toward this.  Lisa shares with us how their medical system is addressing sustainability and how we as hand therapists can do our part when treating our patients.

Guest Bio: Lisa joined the Barts Bone and Joint Health team in September 2023. She is an ac-credited hand therapist (British Association of Hand Therapists) and has combined research and clinical practice throughout her career. Lisa continues to work clinically at Barts Health NHS Trust, having previously worked as an advanced practice hand therapist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust. 

She is involved in national and international hand therapy research and mentors re-search active allied health professionals through NIHR and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy mentorship schemes. 

Lisa was recently appointed to the Scientific Committee of the European Federation for Societies of Hand Therapy (EFSHT) and has previously chaired the British Association of Hand Therapists Clinical Evidence Committee. Lisa is a Deputy Director for the London Centre for Work and Health and an Editorial Board Member for the journal Hand Therapy. 

Lisa completed her PhD at the MRC Life course Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton through an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship (2016-2019) and held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and Imperial Health Charity (2020-2023). 

The views and opinions expressed in the Hands in Motion podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASHT. Appearance on the podcast does not imply endorsement of any products, services or viewpoints discussed.