Originally from Guatemala City, Lynn Bassini MA OTR CHT graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1977 with a BS in Occupational Therapy and in 1982 a Masters in Biomechanics and Ergonomics from New York University.  She has been a hand therapist since the foundation of the American Society of Hand Therapists in 1977.   Lynn has been in private practice for over 45 years, specializing in both adult and pediatric patients with upper extremity injuries and challenges.

In 1991 Lynn passed the first certification in hand therapy ever offered and later became an item writer for the Hand Certification Exam.
 In 1998 she became the recipient of the Vargas Award and traveled with Dr. Alan Freeland to Venezuela. In 2001 she was asked to serve a three year term in the Board of the AAHS and in 2004 organized and led the Vargas mission to Guatemala. Lynn was awarded the 2006 Paul Brand Award and the American Association for Hand Surgery Humanitarian Award in 2016.

In 2004 Lynn founded The Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation (GHHF/Guatemalahands.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and availability of health care in Guatemala through education, hand surgery, hand therapy and community assistance. GHHF has completed 14 missions and next one scheduled for April 2024.   Several children needing critical and complex surgery have also been identified during our missions and we have assisted in getting the authorizations to operate in the US.  GHHF’s projects between missions are ongoing and include supporting a village, Chichoy Alto, through the critical times of covid, food, shelter, education, health and economic insecurity.

In 2021 Lynn relocated to Los Angeles and is now working part time for Select Physical Therapy and consulting for New York Hand Therapy.
Lynn continues to be committed to the activities of Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation.