Hands In Motion American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT)

On this episode, we are joined by Brocha Stern, the 2024 ASHT Annual Meeting Committee Chair. She shares with us what we can expect at this year’s annual meeting that will be held September 26-29 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Guest bio: Brocha Z. Stern, PhD, OTR, CHT is the Chair of the 2024 ASHT Annual Meeting Committee. She is a Certified Hand Therapist who currently works as an orthopedic health services researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is an active volunteer with multiple national societies.

On this episode, we are joined by Zack Sutton, a physical therapist and Certified Hand Therapist who is utilizing artificial intelligence in his clinical practice to increase efficiencies. He shares with us a variety of ways to implement AI in hand therapy and the various benefits of using AI in clinical practice.
Guest bio: Zach Sutton, PT, DPT, MS, MBA, ATC, CHT is co-owner of McMinnville Physical Therapy, PLLC.  Zach’s current practice focuses on sports medicine with an emphasis on the upper extremity in an outpatient practice in McMinnville, TN. Zach is adjunct faculty at South College’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and contributed to the chapter on the hand in Hertling and Kessler’s 5th edition of Management of Common Musculoskeletal Disorders. At the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hand Therapists, Zach presented on Current Concepts with Lateral Epicondylalgia. Most recently, at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Tennessee Chapter this Spring, Zach presented “Merging Minds - Clinical Mastery Meets AI Advancements.”

On this episode of Hands in Motion, we are joined by Nora Barrett and Stephanie Kannas who are both hands therapists who are current Affiliate Directors on the board of the American Association for Hand Surgery. They share with us how therapists can become involved in AAHS and give us the inside scoop on the upcoming meeting that will be held in Hawaii in January 2025. 
Guest bio: Nora Barrett, OTR/L, CHT, WCC
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 in 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.
Guest bio: Stephanie Kannas, OTD, OTR/L, CHT
Stephanie 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 the Mayo Clinic in 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. She 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 the Mayo Clinic. The majority of her time has been focused on hand injuries varying from complex trauma cases while patients are hospitalized for outpatient therapy needs.

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.