In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Alex Kelsheimer, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in upper extremity surgery, to discuss injuries that many of us find difficulty treating — PIP joint injuries. He shares his approach to addressing injuries at the PIP joint and how surgeons and therapists can collaborate with the patient to achieve an optimal outcome.

Guest Bio: Dr. Kelsheimer is a hand & upper extremity orthopedic surgeon with Shoreline Orthopaedics in Holland, Michigan. Prior to practicing in Holland, he was practicing in St. Louis, Missouri for three years. He received his medical degree from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. His post-graduate orthopedic residency training was completed at St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He then completed his hand and upper extremity fellowship at the prestigious Florida Orthopaedic Institute in partnership with Tampa General Hospital.

On this episode, we are joined by Lori Algar and Katie Loomis, who both serve on ASHT’s Research Division. They share with us the results of a recent research community survey that the division conducted to better understand the needs of our members when it comes to clinical research. 

Guest Bios: Lori Algar OTD, OTR/L, CHT is an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who works for Orthopaedic Specialty Group PC in Fairfield CT. She has been specializing in the outpatient treatment of individuals with orthopedic injuries to the upper extremity since 2006. She earned her clinical doctorate in occupational therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in 2013. Lori joined ASHT's Research Division following the completion of her clinical doctorate program and is currently the Research Division Director. She has many publications in the Journal of Hand Therapy and Journal of Hand Surgery, including a randomized clinical trial completed during her clinical work.  

Katie Loomis, MA, OTR/L, CHT, is a PhD candidate in the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California and a research assistant in the Musculoskeletal Sonography and Occupational Performance Laboratory. She has 12 years of clinical and research experience in hand therapy, is an active member of the ASHT Research Division, and an ad hoc reviewer for several rehabilitation-oriented journals. Katie’s research interests center on facilitating large-scale, collaborative practice-based research to better understand and quantify the multidimensional process of upper extremity rehabilitation, and to advance care effectiveness and individualization.

On this episode, we are joined by Ben Mortenson and Janet Craik, both occupational therapists in Canada who have done extensive work on sustainability in healthcare. They share with us the pillars of sustainability and how we as therapists can do our part to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability. 

Guest Bios: Janet Craik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy from Queen's University and a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Toronto. Her involvement as an occupational therapist includes many years as a front-line practitioner, manager, author, educator, and former Executive Director for the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. She is deeply interested in exploring how to improve health systems in Canada to be more sustainable. As an instructor at the University of Toronto, she is involved with an interprofessional education elective on climate change and teaches an elective on sustainable health in occupational therapy to ensure students have knowledge and resources needed to identify climate change-related risks and take equitable, evidence-based action to promote health, well-being, and occupational participation. In addition to instructing at the University of Toronto, she is the Rehabilitation Lead for CASCADES (www.cascadescanada.ca) and the Executive Director for the International Cognitive Approaches Network (www.icancoop.org).

Ben Mortenson has been an occupational therapist since 1991. He is Professor and Head of the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia. He held a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2016-2021).  He is a principal investigator at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Program and International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. He is an experienced mixed-methods researcher with over 200 peer-reviewed publications and he has over $7M in funding as a principal investigator or co-PI and almost $50M as co-investigator. He has had over 300, peer reviewed abstracts accepted at national and international conferences. He has provided research supervision to over 130 trainees. His work is centered on four main populations: assistive technology users, informal and formal caregivers, individuals with spinal cord injury, and residents in long-term care. His research focuses on four overlapping areas: assistive technology, social participation, accessibility and sustainability. He was the 2021 recipient of the Award for Innovative Practice from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy (CAOT). In 2022 he was inducted as a CAOT Fellow.

On this episode, we are joined by April O’Connell to discuss exercise dosing for patients who have sustained injuries of their upper extremity. She shares with us factors that should be considered when designing an exercise program for a patient and how to progress them through their plan of care to achieve their goals and beyond. 

Guest Bio: April O’Connell, OTR/L, CHT, ACSM, is an occupational therapist at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills, CA. She works with a variety of sports teams including the NFL, MLB and NBA and recently spoke at ASHT and AAHT on Rehabilitation of the Overhead Athlete. She is one of the main contributors to the fellowship program for hand and upper extremity rehabilitation as well as the co-director for Cedars Sinai Hand Symposium. 

April got her start as the Clinical Specialist in the Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy Department at NYU Langone Health. She has lectured to orthopedic surgeons and therapists nationally and internationally in current concepts of orthopedic rehabilitation of the upper extremity. Some of her most recent lectures include being a guest speaker for Dr. Radio on Sirius Satellite on topics for rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity as well as injuries to the overhead athlete. In addition, she has presented on Flexor Tendon Repair Advancement at AAOS in 2015 and was later asked to speak at the ASSH national conference in 2016 and ASHT in 2017. She recently presented her latest research at the ASHT National Conference on flexor tendon rehabilitation in 2019. 

April is a founding member of the NYU Langone Golf and Pitching Labs and was the head hand therapist for the first successful bilateral hand and face allotransplantation. She earned her Occupational Therapy degree at Boston University, is a Certified Hand Therapist and is certified by the American Council of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Clinical Exercise Specialist.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Paul Sibley to discuss wide-awake surgical procedures in the upper extremity. He shares with us the various procedures he is performing, the benefits of wide-awake surgery and what we as hand therapists can expect when patients are referred to us following these procedures.

Guest Bio: Dr. Paul A. Sibley is an orthopedist in Allentown, Penn. and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and Lehigh Valley Health Network-Highland Avenue. He received his medical degree from A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and received his post-graduate training at Ohio University-Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, OH. He has many published research publications and has co-written chapters in Wide Awake Hand Surgery, Volumes 1 and 2. 

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.

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 at CHOA, she worked with children with neurological and orthopedic conditions, including brachial plexus birth injuries, congenital conditions of the upper extremity, and traumatic injuries.  She completed training in Neurodevelopmental Treatment in 2003 and began work on a doctorate in OT with a focus on upper extremity rehabilitation.  While completing a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, she began working in the field of adult hand therapy. She earned an OTD from the Univ. of St. Augustine in 2005.  In 2006, she received board certification in hand therapy.  The focus of her practice as an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist has been working with both adults and children recovering from either traumatic or chronic conditions of the upper extremities.  She is currently working on a Doctorate of Education emphasizing executive leadership. Her volunteer interests include serving as Chair of the ASHT Leadership Committee and participating in the pediatric community group.  Juliet also volunteers with the American Red Cross and participates in blood drives with the Louisville chapter.  

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.

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.