HU OTD Students Receive the American Society of Hand Therapists First-time Researcher Award!

The scapulothoracic joint is essential to upper extremity function; however, it is a complex, atypical joint, and assessing its mobility is uniquely challenging. HU OTD students addressed this challenge by critically examining the reliability of a novel goniometric method to measure scapular protraction and retraction on a sample (n=54) of healthy adults. The results were encouraging for both inter-rater and intra-rater reliability as the standard error of measure (SEM) was below five degrees of motion for measures taken between an experienced clinician and student as well as repeat measures by the same evaluator.

Recently, OTD students Kailey Francetic and Clayton Lange presented the results of their study in St. Louis, Missouri at the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) and were awarded the ASHT First-time Researcher Award. This honor is rare for experienced clinicians and academics but unprecedented for OT student research. The students “cannot put into words how amazing it is to have received the First-time Researcher Award” and thank the HU community for supporting their efforts.

Congratulations to Kailey and Clayton as well as the other members of their research team — Manu Mathew, Caroline Fenker, Olivia Fisher, and Amy Hodel. Well done!

Posted By: Nate Short