CSHT Executive Committee

President
Joey Pipicelli

Email

Joey Pipicelli graduated from Western University with a MScOT in 2003 and became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2008. He has been working as a Hand Therapist at the Roth | McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre (RM-HULC) in London, Ontario since 2009. Currently, he serves as Coordinator of the Chinchalkar Hand Therapy Fellowship program within the RM-HULC. He is a Lecturer at Western University with the School of Occupational Therapy and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Advanced Health Care Practice program with in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He teaches orthotic fabrication and various facets of upper extremity rehabilitation. Within CSHT he has served as the Annual Meeting Conference Program Co-Chair in 2012 and 2016, Scientific Chair in 2010 and 2011 and held the role of Regional Representative for South Western Ontario for more than 10 years. Joey is passionate about sharing his knowledge with students and therapists who have an interest in hand therapy practice and participates in clinical teaching to medical students, residents, and orthopaedic and plastic surgery Fellows during their training at the RM-HULC. He has been an invited presenter at CSHT, ASHT, ASSH and IFSHT Meetings on multiple occasions. For the past 2 years he has served CSHT as Vice-President which has allowed him to gain knowledge and experience on the policies and procedures of the Society. He is excited to serve as President alongside his elected executive committee.

Vice-President
Juliana Larocerie-Salgado

Email

Juliana Larocerie is a certified OT hand therapist at the Roth-McFarlane Hand & Upper Limb Center in London, Ontario. With an educational background spanning from Brazil to Canada, Juliana's journey began with a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, followed by a master's degree in Rehabilitation Sciences from Queen's University, Kingston. Her passion for education shines through her roles as a seasonal lecturer at Queen's University, a lab assistant at Western University, and a co-instructor in the Chinchalkar Hand Therapy Fellowship Program.

Juliana's commitment to advancing her field is evident in her contributions to various Hand Surgery and Therapy meetings, including ASHT, IFSHT, CSHT, SBTM, and the Latin American Brachial Plexus Congress. Additionally, she has peer-reviewed publications and a book chapter in Hand Therapy and Surgery, along with a few awards for Excellence in Research at Queen’s University and the Best Scientific Paper/Poster at three CSHT Annual Conferences. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Juliana Larocerie is a person of many passions and values. She finds immense joy in spending quality time with family and close friends, exploring different cultures through travelling, and nurturing her love for nature.

I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been nominated for the position of Vice President. I am truly excited about the prospect of making a positive impact and helping to continue to advance our society and hand therapy in this beautiful country we call home.

Secretary
Luann Macdonald

Email

Luann graduated with an MScOT degree in 2005 from the University of Toronto Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program. From her first moments in the anatomy lab and setting foot in the splinting lab, she knew she wanted to be a hand therapist. She was fortunate to begin her OT career at Rehabilitation Solutions (now Altum Health) WSIB Hand Specialty Program at the Toronto Western Hospital before moving to London, Ontario in 2012 with her family. This transition meant stepping away from the hand therapy world for a few years. However, in 2019, she decided it was time to pursue her goal of becoming a Certified Hand Therapist. She was accepted into the Chinchalkar Hand Therapy Fellowship Program at the Roth McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre at St. Joseph’s Healthcare London in September 2019 and returned as a staff member upon completion of the program in January 2020. She received her CHT designation in May 2021 and would like you to know that it is never too late (or too old) to pursue something you are passionate about! Also, never stop learning and growing – which is why she is getting involved with the CSHT and perhaps will one day learn to actually speak French and Spanish so she can travel the world! I am honoured to have this opportunity to be a part of the CSHT executive committee and to engage with and serve fellow hand therapists across our beautiful country.

Treasurer
Nicole Hart

Email

Nicole obtained her Bachelor of Human Kinetics in Exercise Science in 2001, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of British Columbia in 2005. Since 2006, Nicole has worked in private practice on Vancouver Island, specializing in upper extremity rehabilitation. She obtained her CHT designation in 2015 and founded Active Recovery Physiotherapy & Hand Clinic in Victoria, BC in 2017 with the goal of providing exemplary hand therapy care to clients with Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand injuries.

Over the past 7 years, Nicole has grown the clinic to include several other physiotherapist/CHTs that share her philosophy of providing excellence in clinical care with an active approach to rehabilitation. Nicole and her team work closely with local hand surgeons, physicians and other health practitioners in the local area to provide excellent care for clients requiring specialized hand therapy services. She is passionate about lifelong learning and sharing knowledge and continues to provide weekly mentorship for the team at Active Recovery in physiotherapy and hand therapy theory, techniques and splinting.

Nicole has been a member of CSHT for over 10 years and is looking forward to becoming part of the CSHT executive and contributing to the team in supporting hand therapists across Canada!

Communications Director
Krista Paulson

Email

My interest in a career in healthcare began with my experience as a pediatric burn patient. One particular Physiotherapist who treated me left a lasting impression and piqued my interest in eventually becoming one myself. Having lived in 5 countries and experiencing a number of different health care systems continued my curiosity. My career path has been filled with rich educational opportunities: It started with a BSc in 1999, a BMR-PT in 2005, Acupuncture certification in 2007, an MSC Rehab in 2011 and the CHT designation in 2013.

Together with a classmate, we opened Eastcity Physiotherapy: A Hand to Shoulder Clinic in Winnipeg in 2015. We proudly employ more CHT Physiotherapists than any other private clinic in Manitoba. I helped found the Manitoba CHT Advocacy Group in Manitoba in 2019. For several years now, all of the Certified Hand Therapists in Manitoba have been advocating for an Advanced Practice Registry which would formally recognize the CHT designation in our province. I am honoured to have been an invited expert presenter on a variety of hand & upper extremity topics to Nurses, Physiotherapists, Physical Medicine Residents and Physicians locally and nationally. I believe that CHT’s have a lot to offer and I am always happy to bring more awareness to our expertise.

I am looking forward to meeting more colleagues from different parts of Canada and working to support CHST as Communications Director. We are all united by our goal of improving patient care. The best way we can do that is by working together as a national organization, to improve educational opportunities, to share best practices, and to advocate for our speciality.