Lisa Smurr Walters is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with expertise in upper limb amputation and prosthetic rehabilitation management. Lisa was an ROTC graduate in 1999 from Gannon University in Erie PA with a bachelor's of science in occupational therapy. She commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and completed her occupational therapy clinical rotations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She continued her active military service for 12 years and was stationed at Walter Reed during 9/11 where she helped to establish amputee rehabilitation care in occupational therapy. While in the Army she completed a Certificate in Upper Quarter Rehabilitation from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and received her M.S in Exercise Science and Health Promotion at California University of Pennsylvania. She left active duty in 2011 and continued her military service in the U.S. Army Reserves. She worked as a civilian occupational therapist with the Department of the Army at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX until 2015. She and her family moved to Houston, TX in 2015 where she worked for Arm Dynamics, a private prosthetic provider specializing strictly in upper limb amputation rehabilitation management. Lisa moved to Lexington in 2019 to pursue her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at UK. Lisa retired as a Major from the Army Reserves in 2020 with 21 years of service.

As a subject matter expert in upper limb amputation rehabilitation, Lisa is a member of the Amputee Coalition Upper Limb Loss Advisory Council. She has been presenting at scientific symposiums for 15 plus years on an array of topics related to upper limb trauma and amputation rehabilitation.

She has written numerous articles and textbook chapters on amputation rehabilitation and was a co-chair and contributor for the first Veterans Administration and Department of Defense Upper Extremity Amputee Rehabilitation Clinical Practice Guideline.

Personal Statement

My father broke his neck when I was 2 years old so I grew up around rehabilitation and knew I wanted to do something in health care. I was drawn to occupational therapy because of the creativity and versatility within the field. I believe it is important to learn what motivates individuals and incorporate that into individualized treatment. My job is to help them relearn to re-engage in meaningful tasks that are important to them. I love educating patients and helping them after an injury or accident to achieve success in the everyday activities of life that we often take for granted until we can no longer perform them. I believe education is power and I strive to help my patients be educated consumers about their healthcare.

I enjoy spending time with my husband and 2 sons. We love hiking, biking, traveling and exploring new places. I enjoy photography and doing small renovation projects at home. My husband and I are also avid HGTV followers.