Maryam Farzad, Bsc, Msc, PhD

Maryam Farzad, OT, PhD, MSc, MSc (Advanced Health Care Practice–Upper Extremity Rehabilitation), is the Clinical Research Lead–Rehabilitation at Orfit Industries and an Adjunct Research Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Western University, Canada. I am an occupational therapist, hand therapist, educator, and researcher with more than 25 years of clinical, academic, and research experience in hand and upper-extremity rehabilitation. My work focuses on evidence-based hand therapy, orthotic intervention, outcome measurement, pain and disability, occupational participation, and the integration of emerging technologies into rehabilitation. My current research includes the development and evaluation of personalized orthoses using digital assessment, mobile 3D scanning, computer-aided design, and 3D printing. I led and collaborated on randomized clinical trials, systematic and scoping reviews, psychometric studies, qualitative research, Delphi consensus studies, and international industry–academic innovation projects. I have authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and have delivered more than 100 invited lectures, workshops, podium presentations, and scientific posters at national and international conferences. I am a contributing author to Willard and Spackman’s Occupational Therapy and have authored or co-authored four additional books addressing hand rehabilitation. I completed two postdoctoral research appointments at Western University and received the Canadian Musculoskeletal Health Research Postdoctoral Associate Award and a Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellowship. I serve on the International Editorial Board of the Journal of Hand Therapy, am an editorial board member for PLOS ONE, and review manuscripts for several rehabilitation and hand therapy journals. I am also an invited reviewer for the American Society of Hand Therapists Research Grant Program. My professional activities include directing a postgraduate Hand Therapy Fellowship program, mentoring graduate students, teaching orthotic fabrication internationally, and contributing to global hand therapy education and collaboration. I am committed to translating research evidence and innovative technologies into practical, accessible, and patient-centred solutions that advance hand therapy practice.