DESERT HAND AND PHYSICAL THERAPY - Key Persons

Brittany graduated from Saint Francis University with a Bachelor's in Allied Health Sciences and Psychology in 2012 and a Master's in Occupational Therapy in 2013. She began her career as a burn therapist and worked in a trauma and burn ICU for 2 years prior to transitioning to hand therapy. She passed her Certified Hand Therapist examination in 2017 and has been practicing in outpatient hand therapy with Desert Hand and Physical Therapy since 2015. Brittany manages the Goodyear and Laveen locations and is a director of our marketing team. She specializes treatment in wound care and traumas and has additional training in manual therapy strategies and techniques. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, reading and spending time with her husband and daughters.

Job Titles:

• Occupational Therapist at the Laveen

Casey is an occupational therapist at the Laveen and Goodyear DH&PT locations. She completed a Level II fieldwork rotation with the company in summer 2019 and returned to complete a pediatric hand therapy capstone project in spring 2020. In May 2021, she joined the team as an employee. Casey received her BA from the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!) and pursued an OT clinical doctorate from NAU. While in college, she studied abroad in Spain to develop proficiency in Spanish. Prior to joining the team at DH&PT, she worked with kiddos with developmental delays in a sensory integration clinic. Casey is currently working towards becoming a certified hand therapist with a desire to ultimately specialize in pediatric hand therapy. She's also considering pursuing a part-time path in education to teach OT students. Casey recently became a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner. In her free time, she enjoys reading, being outside, petting her cat Finnegan, and of course spending time with family.

Desarae earned her Bachelor's Degree in Exercise and Wellness at ASU in 2013. In 2015, she graduated with her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University in Glendale. She earned her Certified Hand Therapy certification in May of 2019. Desarae was inspired to become a hand therapist after being a patient herself. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and son.

Jillian was inspired to be a hand therapist when she saw her little brother having difficulty using his index finger since birth. She witnessed her little brother's first hand therapy session with an Occupational Therapist and was hooked! Jillian then went to Arizona State University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Psychology and Wellness foundations. She then attended A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona where she earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. After interning as a student at Desert Hand and Physical Therapy, she fell in love with the work culture and the people receiving hand therapy. She now works with the team at Desert Hand and strives to provide the best quality of hand care to her patients.