Kelly Dunbar Hawkins, OTR/L, CHT
Kelly Dunbar Hawkins is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist working as a Clinical Therapy Specialist for the Hanger Clinic Upper Limb Program. Kelly received her BS from the University of Notre Dame, followed by an MS in Occupational Therapy at Tufts University, and now resides in Portland, OR. She joined Hanger Clinic in 2021 and is responsible for providing education and training to therapists working with patients with upper limb loss and difference, as well as collaborating with clinicians to provide the best functional outcomes. Kelly has lectured at conferences, clinics, and universities at the local and national level on the topics of hand therapy, occupational performance, evaluation and treatment of patients with upper limb loss, emerging technologies, and patient outcomes, and she is also involved in the functional and outcomes research domains. Within this role, she works to develop content for education on rehabilitation and prosthetic devices, as well as provide consultation on new prosthetic technologies. She also supports national and local patient experience events and therapy trainings, with a focus on building community, occupational engagement, addressing mental health concerns, and return to leisure, sports and work. Prior to joining the team at Hanger Clinic, Kelly was working as a hand therapist in the outpatient clinic of level I trauma hospital in Portland, and she has served as adjunct faculty in the OTD program at Pacific University in the past as well.