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About Capital Hand Therapy Association

The Capital Hand Therapy Association connects therapists working in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation in the Northern Virginia, Southern Maryland, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. 

Therapy

Mission

The mission of the Capital Hand Therapy Association is charitable, educational and scientific. We aim to promote education, research, and advocacy by cultivating interest in the advancement of our field through networking, professional development, and community involvement. We seek to bring hand therapists and colleagues together to collaborate with physicians, scientists, and secondary education organizations to fulfill unification of best practice methodology and enhance the treatment of patients within our community.

Hands
Hands in supportive gesture
Hands

Values

Excellence in Patient Care

Professional Development

Community Engagement

Innovation

Collaboration

CHTA by the Numbers

 

The CHTA connects over 190 hand therapists across Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia through in-person and virtual educational and social networking forums and events.

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  • In 2021, we offered 2 events with speakers from 3 states with a total of 80 attendees.

  • In 2022, we offered  5 events with speakers from 3 states with a total of 88 attendees.

  • In 2023, we offered 11 events with speakers from 7 states and more than 170 attendees.

  • In 2024, we offered 11 events with speakers from  7 states and more than 155 attendees.

  • In 2025, we offered 12 events with speakers from 8 states and more than 170 attendees. 

 

  • The CHTA has featured speakers from New York, Georgia, Washington, North Carolina, Nevada, Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Speakers have discussed unique topics such as manual techniques, orthosis fabrication, fieldwork supervision, advanced treatment techniques for spasticity, carpal instability, elbow trauma, and substance use-related injury, as well as the use of mobile apps to improve the treatment of the hand, elbow, and shoulder using best practices and evidence-based treatment.

 

  • We have delivered events totaling 429 hours of continuing education this year past year. We have helped our members earn 80 hours of continuing education in 2021, 178 hours in 2022,  261 hours in 2023 and 429 hours in 2024

 

  • Activity on our Facebook group has multiplied with 174 posts, 164 comments, and 487 reactions over the past 12 months from 164 unique members out of a total of 190 members.

 

  •  Our Instagram has grown to more than 128 posts and 193 followers. We have had over 19,000 views and over 1,200 accounts reached. 

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  • Over 65 local and national therapists have been named in 18 newsletters since 2021.

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  • More than 56 hand therapists have been featured in member spotlights on Facebook and Instagram -introducing the great diversity of hand therapists in the local region since 2021.

 

  • We’ve expanded relationships with local educational institutions to include George Washington University and Shenandoah University, and continue our work in a research group linking community-based therapists to academia.

 

  • We’ve cooperated with state, national, and international governing groups for occupational, physical, and hand therapy. We plan to continue our educational and networking efforts as well as advance advocacy of the hand therapy profession in 2026.

 

  • The CHTA has cultivated relationships with local hand surgeons at four Annual Hand Therapist and Hand Surgeon Dinners, with over 50 physicians and hand therapists in attendance at each event. These dinners featured individual and collaborative presentations on patient case studies from both therapist and physician perspectives.

Meet the Board

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Angelina Romano Chilcoat, OTR/L, CHT, AIPCC

Education and Member Engagement Committee

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Sarah Druckman, OTD, OTR/L 

Member Engagement Committee 

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Shannon Loiseau, OTD, OTR/L

Secretary and Member Engagement Committee 

Board Bios

President: Julie Brody, MS, OTR/L, CHT


Julie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in 1993. She returned for her Post-professional Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University in 2006. Julie attained the Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) credential in 2008. Julie spent five years as a travel therapist, and she was able to see much of the United States as well as experience practicing in everything from acute/subacute care, burn center, spinal cord injury program, home health, public schools, and early intervention. It was during her travel experiences that she had her first opportunity to work in hand therapy, and found her clinical niche. Professionally, she enjoys manual therapy, splinting, and problem-solving complex cases. She has also been a mentor to junior therapists, COTAs and students throughout her career.  She currently works with the Centers for Advanced Orthopedics in Woodbridge, Virginia. Outside of the office, she enjoys yoga, reading, good food and craft beer, and spending time with her husband and two daughters. She has served on the CHTA Board since 2021

Treasurer: Stephanie Katz, OTR/L, CHT


Stephanie Katz is an occupational therapist and recently certified hand therapist. She obtained a dual bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From there, she went on to pursue her master’s degree in occupational therapy at New York University. She was offered a full time position during her last clinical rotation at George Washington University Hospital and has been working in the outpatient rehab department since graduating in 2019. She is now pursuing a doctoral degree in health science at GW as well as working as a lab instructor for the new GW OTD program. In her (limited) spare time, you can find her behind a pottery wheel, at the pickleball courts, or walking her German shepherd, Gatsby. Stephanie joined the CHTA Board in 2023.

 

Secretary and Member Engagement Committee: Shannon Loiseau, OTD, OTR/L

Shannon Loiseau is a hand therapist with Inova at the Sportsplex location in Alexandria–Springfield. She earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) from The George Washington University in May 2025. Originally from Vermont, she spent part of her childhood in France and has lived in Washington, DC since moving to the area for graduate school, where she is happy to call home. She has a strong interest in sports-related upper extremity injuries, informed by her experience playing collegiate basketball, and is passionate about upper extremity rehabilitation and engagement in the local hand therapy community.

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Education and Member Engagement Committee: Angelina Romano Chilcoat, OTR/L, CHT, AIPCC

Angelina is an occupational therapist (OTR/L), certified hand therapist (CHT), and Autoimmune Protocol Certified Coach (AIPCC) with 29 years of clinical experience, including 14 years specializing in hand therapy. She has worked extensively in hospital-based rehabilitation settings and has developed occupational therapy service lines for multiple programs, including Sinai Hospital of Baltimore’s Aging Surgeon Program, Emerging from Chronic Pain Program, and the Rehabilitation Institute at Sinai Hospital’s Hand Therapy Program. Angelina is a dynamic educator, teaching occupational and physical therapists nationwide on hand therapy through the lenses of pain neuroscience and lifestyle- based interventions. She contributes to the Autoimmune Protocol Certified Coach training program and regularly speaks locally on pain, nutrition as a lifestyle intervention, upper-extremity rehabilitation, and orthotic fabrication. Her paper, “Hiding in Plain Sight: A Provider’s Educational Guide to Recognizing Ulnar Nerve Compression,” is in press for publication in the Journal of Hand Therapy. Angelina is honored to serve on the Capital Hand Therapy Association board and is passionate about advancing engagement, education, and collaboration within the hand therapy community.​​

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Member Engagement Committee: Sarah Druckman, OTD, OTR/L 

Sarah Druckman, OTD, OTR/L is a new graduate OT practicing in Montgomery County, MD. Originally from Stamford, CT, Sarah moved to Washington, DC in 2016 to study Exercise Science and Dance at George Washington University. Little did she know that a few years later, she would return to GW as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program. As a former dancer and fitness instructor, Sarah has always been passionate about finding joy in movement. In her current role as an OT, she is able to combine her fitness background with her knowledge and training in orthopedic conditions and interventions. You will typically find her cheering for her clients as they conquer challenging exercises or meet their short and long-term goals throughout the course of treatment. 

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