Ellen King, OTR, CHT

Ellen King (1961-2024) was an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist. Ellen worked
as an OT for 35 years specializing in the rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity. She
spent the last 16 years of her career at Washington University’s Milliken Hand Rehabilitation
Center in St. Louis, MO. Prior to her career at Milliken, she worked at Shriners Hospital for 12
years working with children with cerebral palsy and congenital hand anomalies. Ellen was
passionate about educating the next generation of therapists. She was a dedicated clinical
instructor and taught many OT students in an independent study course on hand therapy. Ellen
had an impressive career with upper extremity rehabilitation, but her legacy lies with her
innovative breast cancer program. Ellen, who coincidentally fought her own battle with breast
cancer, developed a program in 2017 to help women prepare for and recover from breast
reconstruction, chemotherapy, and radiation. Ellen’s program, The King System, is now
standard of care for patients seen by our Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery team. Ellen’s
inspiration, strength, and wisdom live on through The King System.