The 2014 American Society of Hand Therapists Annual Meeting

Major Enrique Smith-Forbes is a doctoral candidate in the cooperative Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral program between Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky. He was recently awarded recognition for his two abstracts presented at the 37th American Society of Hand Therapists Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 18-20, 2014.  

His quantitative study, (with co-authors Howell, D.M., Willoughby, J., Pitts, G., & Uhl, T.) “Minimal Clinical Important Difference of the Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) for Post-surgical Distal Radius Fractures,” earned ‘The First Time Scientific Session Presenter Award.’

His qualitative study, (with co-authors Morgan, R., Clark, K., Hall, S. Willoughby, J., Armstrong, H., Pitts, G., Uhl, T., & Howell, D.M.) “Experiences of Individuals in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation with Incongruence Between their QuickDASH and GROC Scores: A Phenomenological Study,” earned ‘The Best Scientific Paper Award.’

From left to right: Dr. Dana Howell, MAJ Brian Gregg, MAJ Enrique Smith-Forbes, and CPT Theresa Reer. Missing: Dr. Anne Shordike.

A team students and faculty from EKU, members of the Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral program between Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky presented at the Kentucky Occupational Therapy Association Annual Meeting in Lexington Kentucky on Sunday September 21st, 2014. They discussed “The Deployment Role of Army Occupational Therapy in Behavioral Health.” The presenters were MAJ Smith-Forbes & MAJ Gregg, both from the EKU Ph.D. program, in conjunction with CPT Reer, the Chief of Occupational Therapy at Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Dr. Howell and Dr. Shordike, their advising professors, supervised the project. The 3-hour mini-course reviewed the role of Army OTs in behavioral health in the deployed environment, services available to veterans upon redeployment, and current concepts on mild traumatic brain injury OT intervention.