I was born in Bristol, England by Irish born parents. While most of my family live in Ireland, I was raised in upstate NY with my 5 brothers and sisters. We traveled back to Ireland at every opportunity, and even lived in Davis, California for a time as a child. We eventually moved to the horse capitol of the world where my high school years were spent in Lexington, KY. During my years in Kentucky I competed in horse show jumping on the University of Kentucky Equestrian Team. I was co President of the Central Kentucky Blood Center's "Points for Pints" Program and traveled around the country to advocate for college student blood donation.

After completing a BS degree at the University of Kentucky I decided to move to San Diego, CA. My career in San Diego was centered around the pediatric population, beginning at San Diego Children's Hospital as a child life specialist. From there I worked in the San Diego City School System with children with Autism. During this time I while applied to Occupational Therapy Graduate Programs in the Southern California Area. After completing my masters degree at University of Saint Augustine, I got married and began working within the Scripps Health Network in an ambulatory Hand Therapy clinic. During this time, I worked part time while also working as an OT in inpatient Neurorehabilitation for 4 years. After earning my CHT I moved my family to the San Francisco Bay area and worked for Agile Physical Therapy who maintained contracts with Stanford University, Google, Genentech and Palo Alto Medical Foundation/Sutter Health Network. During my time in the Bay Area, I began training to mentor Level 2 OT students and also assisted in the development of an AOTA accredited Hand Therapy Fellowship. Other extra curricular activities involved providing mentorship with CHT Preparation Course Programs across the United States.

In addition to these activities, I joined the Hand Therapy Association of California board in 2020 acting as legislative editor, aiming to provide education and awareness of changes within our National Practice Act to California based hand therapists.

My PhD program at Boston University began in Jan 2020 in rehabilitative science. In addition to coursework, I began a research project aiming at the development of proprioception and active motion protocols in post amputation/myoelectric prosthetics patients. This program created opportunities to collaborate with hand surgeons and therapists on a global level. This experience has been a dream come true for me.

My family and I decided to return to Kentucky in August of 2022 where my and my husband's family reside. We have two children who are very active in sports and the arts. We absolutely love spending time outdoors and traveling to new countries. My daughter and I share a love for horses, competing and show jumping. When people ask why we decided to leave CA for Kentucky, I always respond, "I love my family and horses, and I have a lot of both here in Kentucky."

Personal Statement

Choosing a career in this field wasn't difficult for me for several reasons. One, I sustained a life altering injury to my shoulder at a very young age. This impairment creates a unique motivation to help others as I was helped throughout the years. My philosophy is client centered, where I create an environment to create comfort wherever possible and set goals based on each individual's unique needs. I realize and respect the trust a person instills in me to provide my absolute best for their care. I honor my Hippocratic oath to deliver the highest standard of care. I really love meeting people of all walks of life, and aim to create an enviroment where your visits feel as though you are visiting with a friend while meeting goals set in each plan of care.