Karen is originally from east Tennessee. She graduated from Boston University with a master's degree in occupational therapy in 1996 and became a certified hand therapist in 2001.
Karen has over 20 years of experience working in a variety of hand therapy settings in Florida, California and Texas. Karen transitioned to the specialty of pediatric hand therapy in 2013 as an OT/ CHT at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. In 2015, she joined the team at Central Texas Pediatric Orthopedics where she works with a highly specialized group of pediatric orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists.
Karen is a member of the Texas Society for Hand Therapy, the American Society of Hand Therapists, The Central Texas Hand Society, and the Pediatric Hand Study Group.
Jemerie Hopkins graduated with her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Minnesota. She is a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) with 23 years of experience working exclusively in hand therapy. She currently works at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Her clinical areas of interest include complex pediatric injuries, cumulative trauma, sports rehabilitation, brachial plexus birth injuries congenital hand difference orthotic fabrication and prosthetic training.
On this episode, we are joined by Jem Hopkins and Karen Ayala, both occupational therapists and certified hand therapists who are serving as this year’s ASHT Pediatric Specialty Day co-chairs. They share with us what we can expect at this year’s meeting, the layout of the day, the educational offerings and opportunities to network with other pediatric therapists.
