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). 

In this episode, we are joined by Stacey Doyon, President-Elect of the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy. Stacey shares with us information about IFSHT, their mission and how they are connecting upper extremity therapists across the globe. We also briefly discuss the upcoming IFSSH-IFSHT Triennial Congress being held March 24-28, 2025, in Washington, DC. 

Silent Auction Link: https://ifsht.org/awards_grants/silent-auction/

Guest Bio: I have served on the board of the American Society of Hand Therapists from 1999-2008 which includes the following positions: Past president (2008), President (2007), President Elect (2006), Vice President (2005), Director of Advocacy (2004), Secretary/Treasurer (2003), Secretary/Treasurer elect (2002), Division Director of Alliances (2001), Division Director of Member Services (2000) and Board Member at Large (1999-2000).  From 2008-2010 I was the Chairperson for the 2010 International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy, for the American Society of Hand Therapists. In 2011 I became a board member for the Hand Therapy certification Commission holding the position of Treasurer in 2017-2024.  I was a committee member since from 2006-2024. I have also served on several committees for IFSHT which include the finance committee for 2007, 2018-2019, Abstract review committee for 2013 and 2016 and then the nominations committee in 2016. In 2019-2022 I was Treasurer for IFSHT and in 2022-present I became President-Elect. I will go on to be President of IFSHT at the end of the Triennial congress in Washington DC 2025.

On this episode, we are joined by Lauren DeTullio and Preston Lockwood, both occupational therapists and Certified Hand Therapists who serve on the ASHT International Committee. They share with us the work that the committee is doing to spread knowledge of hand and upper extremity therapy across the globe and specifically about a recent trip to Columbia where they had the opportunity to present didactic and hands-on education.

Guest bios:

Lauren DeTullio, OTR/L, CHT, is an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She is the Regional Director of the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center and the Director of the Hand Rehabilitation Foundation. She is an adjunct professor in the Occupational Therapy program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lauren has co-authored chapters in the seventh edition of Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity, in the third edition of Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation - A Practical Guide, and in the first edition of Fractures and Injuries of the Distal Radius and Carpus. She is a co-chairman and has served as a regular faculty member for the annual Philadelphia Hand Symposium Surgery and Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity. Lauren has volunteered for ASHT on the Awards Committee, Board Intern and most recently the International Committee. 

Preston W Lockwood, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, is a passionate and dedicated occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) with a strong commitment to advancing the field of hand and upper extremity therapy. With extensive experience in clinical practice, Preston is deeply invested in clinical education, empowering the next generation of therapists through mentorship and knowledge-sharing. As an advocate for global collaboration, Preston is eager to connect with international hand therapy communities for knowledge exchange, furthering the evolution of the profession worldwide. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact, Preston is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of hand therapy, advocating for innovation, and contributing to the continuous growth and improvement of the profession.

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