Erika Lewis.

Erika S Lewis, PT, Ed.D., MS, CHT

Associate Professor

Pronouns
She/Her
College
Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Department
Physical Therapy and Kinesiology
Phone
978-934-4405
Office
HSS
Email
Erika_Lewis@uml.edu
Links

Expertise

Physical Therapist, Certified Hand Therapist. Hand and Upper Extremity Examination, Treatment, and Orthosis Fabrication. Orthopedic Physical Therapy Examination and Therapeutic Exercise in Lower Extremity and Upper Extremity.

Research Interests

Musculoskeletal hand and upper extremity injuries and treatment outcomes, orthosis fabrication, emotional intelligence, patient compliance, stenosing tenosynovitis (trigger finger), carpal tunnel syndrome, grip strength topics and reliability in instruments. Virtual Reality for Rehabilitation, Using 3D scanning and 3D printing to create Adaptive Devices for Better Life, Wheelchair Training.

Education

  • Ed.D: Leadership and Schooling, (2004), University of Massachusetts Lowell - Lowell, MA
    Dissertation/Thesis Title: Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence and Clinical Performance in Physical Therapy Students
  • MS: Physical Therapy, (1992), University of Massachusetts Lowell - Lowell, MA
  • BS: Pre-Physical Therapy, (1987), University of Massachusetts Amherst - Amherst, MA

Biosketch

Erika Lewis, Ed.D., has been teaching in the Physical Therapy Department since 1997 and became a full-time faculty member in 2004. She has been a physical therapist since 1992 and practiced primarily in orthopedics with a specialty in Hand Therapy since 1994 (including orthopedics and plastic surgery). Lewis became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1998. Her clinical practice is currently at Rehab Health 360, Acton, MA where she evaluates and treats Hand and Upper Extremity patients including orthopedic, plastic surgery and neurological conditions and diagnoses. She completed her doctoral degree in 2004 in Leadership and Schooling from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her dissertation was on the topic of “Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence and Clinical Performance of Physical Therapy Graduate Students.” Her Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree was earned from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1992. Her undergraduate degree in Pre-Physical Therapy was in the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) program combining the Exercise Science major requirements, Psychology, and Dance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lewis earned a certification in exercise for the geriatric population in 2010 titled “Certified Exercise Expert for the Aging Adult.”

Lewis has been an invited lecturer numerous times on the topic of Hand Therapy and related physical therapy interventions for medical groups and physical therapists in clinical practice.? She was also an invited lecturer on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. Her articles and abstracts are published in peer-reviewed journals on the topics of hand therapy and emotional intelligence. She has served as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Hand Surgery, Journal of Hand Therapy, and the Journal of Physical Therapy Education. Lewis collaborates with the UMOVE UMass MOVEment Research Center.

Lewis teaches the Musculoskeletal Lower Extremity and Upper Extremity Evaluation series lectures and labs to the first year students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. Additionally, she co-teaches an Exercise Science elective called “Adaptive Devices for Better Life” an interprofessional experiential undergraduate course with interdisciplinary teams (PTK, Art & Design, Mechanical Engineering) to meet community members and design and create devices to make activities easier for people with alternate abilities. This course is designated as a RHED course. All teams of students present at the Kennedy College of Engineering Prototype Competition. One student group, ZipperBuddy won first place in 2023, winning $5,000 to go from prototype to product.

Lewis served in leadership roles as department chair of PTK for 3.5 years and as DPT Program Director for 4.5 years. She serves the profession as the Online Education Coordinator of Virtual Education for the APTA Hand and Upper Extremity, an Academy of the APTA (since 2019) reporting to the Board. She was a Research Division member for the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) from 2014-2019. Professional Service to the community includes Hands-On workshops for the elderly on common upper extremity injuries, balance testing and home safety awareness. She is a member of the American Society for Hand Therapists, and the American Physical Therapy Association (including the Academy of Hand and Upper Extremity, Academy of Orthopedics and the Education Academy of the APTA).

Selected Awards and Honors

  • 2023 Volunteer Service Award. APTA Hand and Upper Extremity. An Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association.Outstanding Reviewer Journal of Hand Therapy (2017), Service, Professional - Journal of Hand Therapy
  • Department Excellence in Teaching Award UMass Lowell (2016), Teaching
  • Winner Best Scientific Poster 2014 ASHT (2014), Scholarship/Research - American Society of Hand Therapists
  • Winner Best Scientific Poster 2013 ASHT (2013), Scholarship/Research - American Society of Hand Therapists
  • National Student Athlete Day Faculty Recognition Award (2013), Teaching - National Consortium for Academics & Sports, Northeastern University's Sport in Society, The National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • Finalist for Outstanding Scientific Research Poster Award (2011), Scholarship/Research - American Society of Hand Therapists
  • Finalist for Outstanding Scientific Research Poster Award 2nd one (2011), Scholarship/Research - American Society of Hand Therapists
  • Certificate of Excellence Nomination in recognition of excellence and dedication to teaching. (2010), Teaching - Student Government Association
  • Award of Excellence in Community Service (2008), Service, Community - President of the Board of Trustees of Meeting House at Stow

Selected Publications

  • Chen MJ, Xu Y, Sirois A, Li Y, Dempski R, Smith GM, Oda Y, Telliel YD, Lewis E, Wolkowicz K. WheelUp! Developing an interactive electric-power wheelchair virtual training environment. IEEE Conference on Games (CoG). 2023:1-6.
  • Lewis, E.S. (UMass Lowell) (2011). Longitudinal Assessment of Emotional Intelligence in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 9(2).
  • Lewis, E.S. (2010). Emotional Intelligence as Predictor for Clinical performance in Professional Physical Therapy Students . The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 8(4).
  • Lewis, E.S. (2010). Finger circumference measurements: inter-and intra-rater reliability. Hand Therapy, 15(3) 69-72.
  • Lewis, E.S., Fors, L., Tharion, W.J. (2010). Interrater and intrarater reliability of finger goniometric measurements. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(4) 555-561.

Selected Presentations

  • The Value of Integrating Expertise to Your Practice APTA CSM 2024 Boston, MA Annual Conference. Feb 15, 2024. Boston, MA.
  • WheelUp! Developing an Interactive Electric-Power Wheelchair Virtual Training Environment. IEEE CoG Conference on Games. August 2023. Boston, MA.
  • Figure-of-Eight Measurements show high reliability in a clinical setting in assessing edema in patients with hand injuries.American Society for Hand Therapists (ASHT) 37th Annual Meeting. Refereed Poster Session. Sept. 2014. Boston, MA.
  • Return of Range of Motion Following Volar Plating for Distal Radius Fractures. American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) 39th Annual Meeting. Sept. 2014. Washington, D.C. co-investigator

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

  • 3D Printed and 3D Scanned Forearm Wrist and Hand Orthotic for Wrist Instability Case Report. UML Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research. PI: Oda, Y. Co-I: Lewis, E. 2024
  • Wheel Up!: Engaging Communities in the Development of a Wheelchair Training Simulator for Diverse Bodies. UML-WPI Collaborative Seed Grant. 2022-2023. Wolkowicz, K., Telliel, Y., Dempsey, R., Lewis, E. Oda, Y.
  • Innovative Inventions for Better Life- An Interdisciplinary Course ZCHS COVID Comeback Mini-Grant Program: Teaching Innovations. 2021-2022. PI: Lewis, E. Co-I: Oda, Y.; Wolkowicz, K.
  • Improve musculoskeletal Health especially among the elderly (2018), Grant - IDEA Inter-Disciplinary Exchange & Advancement Initiative
    Lewis, E.S., Gage, M., Nugent, M.A., Mangano, K., Konow, N., Scribner-Maclean, M.
  • Fall Risk Self Assessment: How to help yourself and the ones you love (2011), Grant - Deshpande Foundation Campus Catalyst Competition
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Trigger Finger Treatment: An Outcome Study (2008), Grant - American Hand Therapy Foundation (AHTF)
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Faculty Research Seed Grant (1995), Grant - UML
  • UMOVE UMass MOVEment Research Center-Exploring the mechanics of movement and muscle function (2017), Grant - UMass President's Office Science and Technology Initiative
    Lewis, E.S., Gage, M.,
  • Comparison of Figure-of-Eight Hand Measurements to Standard Volumetric Measurements and the Reliability within a Clinical Setting With Hand Injured Patients (2012), Grant - SHE Seed Grant Proposal
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Strategies for Success in the Freshman Year: Improving Academic Performance and Student Retention in the Exercise Physiology Program (2009), Grant - Exploration in Teaching and Learning Grant
    Lewis, E.S. (Co-Investigator)
  • Hands-On Health Fair (2008), Grant - SHE Creativity Grant
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Trigger Finger Treatment: An Outcome Study (2008), Grant - SHE Seed Grant
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Trigger Finger Treatment: An Outcomes Study (2008), Grant - American Hand Therapy Foundation (AHTF)
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Novel Material for Conformable Splints (2006), Grant - NIH SBIR
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)
  • Clinical Feedback and Testing of Splints (2007), Contract - NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
    Lewis, E.S. (Principal)