Kristin Valdes, OTD, OT, CHT, is a professor at Touro University in Nevada. Dr. Valdes received her OTD degree with a specialization in hand rehabilitation from Rocky Mountain University of Health Care Professions in Provo, Utah. She is involved in the hand therapy profession at the national level and has served on the American Society of Hand Therapist Board of Directors for nine years. She is a past president of the American Society of Hand Therapists. She also served on the board of the American Association of Hand Surgery. She is a peer reviewer of grants for the Hand Therapy Foundation and the British Society of Hand Therapists. She was in private practice for over thirty years and specialized in the treatment and rehabilitation of the upper extremity. She owned and managed four outpatient therapy clinic in Florida. She is an expert in orthotic fabrication and specialized in the treatment of patients with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis, distal radius fractures, and trigger finger. Kristin has published over seventy peer-reviewed studies. She received the Natalie Barr award from the American Society of Hand Therapists which is one of the highest honors presented by the society for her contributions in research and her contributions to hand therapy development and the American Society of Hand Therapy.