Hand therapist wins lifetime achievement award

With only three Canadians nominated, St. Joseph’s own Shrikant Chinchalkar has taken home a prestigious award recognizing his many contributions in the field of hand therapy.

The International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT) Lifetime Achievement Award is granted to any person who excels globally, beyond what is normally expected in the field of hand therapy, recognizing the recipient’s “enormous contribution” and benefit to “countless patients.” 

Nearly half a century of clinical experience

For those who know Shrikant, it’s no surprise this award was bestowed upon one of the founders of the hand therapy program at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. A hand therapist at the Roth-McFarlane Hand & Upper Limb Centre for 26 years, Shrikant has more than 47 years of clinical experience treating upper extremity conditions and nearly 40 years of teaching up-and-coming hand therapists. 

In addition to designing the hand therapy program at St. Joseph’s, Shrikant has collaborated with three other major teaching centres in Canada on the development of their programs. With numerous milestones throughout his career, including creation of the hand fellowship program at St. Joseph’s, Shrikant achievements and awards are too many to note. Proud of all his accomplishments, this particular award was humbling.

“It’s a great honour,” states Shrikant. “It’s a pleasure to be recognized.”

Retirement includes sharing hand therapy insights at St. Joseph's

Recently back from Germany, where he chaired a session on nerve transfers, Shrikant continues to enjoy a busy “retirement” working a few hours at St. Joseph’s while continuing to bring his knowledge around the world to countries needing his insight and expertise. This past summer he spent time in India and Sri Lanka, challenging old practices on hand fractures, and bringing new knowledge on wound healing that could change the face of hand therapy going forward.

It’s a well-deserved tribute for an individual who has made a remarkable difference in his field, and for patients around the globe.