Meet: Theresa Bell-Nagle, OTR/L, CHT (Owner, Lead Hand Therapist)

Theresa graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1984 and has been practicing for almost 38 years. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1993 and has chosen to commit her career to help patients who suffer with any injuries or surgery to the upper extremity.

In addition to Theresa’s extensive background in upper extremity rehabilitation she is also experienced in spinal cord injuries, tendon transfers, wound care and custom fabricated splinting. Theresa started 2 other Hand therapy clinics for Jordan Hospital and Plymouth Bay Orthopedics & Sports Therapy prior to opening her own clinic in 2007. She also taught at Bristol Community College’s OT assistant program for several years. She loves teaching the community about injury prevention and awareness of upper extremity issues.

Theresa brings her knowledge from many rehabilitation centers and hand clinics in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Massachusetts including Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center and the Downey Hand Center, in Downey, CA and University of Massachusetts Medical Center, in Worcester, MA. She continues to volunteer in her community, including the last 22 years with the Boston Marathon. In her free time she enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Meet: Nicole Jacobs OTR/L, CHT (per diem)

Nicole graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University in 1993 and has been practicing for over 29 years. She chose to specialize in hand therapy and became a certified hand therapist in 1999.

Nicole began her hand therapy work at Tufts medical Center. She has opened Hand Therapy departments in several Matrix Rehabilitation clinics in Maryland. She worked for Tufts medical center and New England Baptist hospitals as well as several private clinics in the Boston area.

Nicole was involved with the writing of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) practice guidelines for flexor tendon rehabilitation and has contributed to the development of an Early Active Motion Flexor Tendon protocol that was presented at ASHT and American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) national conferences. She has co-written chapters on Neoprene splinting and pediatric splinting. Splinting The Hand and Upper Extremity; Jacobs and Austin:2003 , Foundations of Pediatric Practice; Wagenfeld and Kaldenbury: 2005 She was also the co-editor of the ASHT Times and has presented on various hand therapy subjects nationally.

Meet: Bridget Carroll , OTR/L, OTD

Bridget has been a full-time occupational therapist (OT) at 2 Thumbs up since August 2022. She graduated with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in May 2022 and a B.S. in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State University in 2018. Bridget’s doctoral thesis involves enhancing understanding of how climate change impacts health and the importance of interprofessional collaboration to enrich clinical practice.

Bridget has been active in the healthcare field since 2014, having worked as a caregiver for older adults with varying neurodegenerative, psychological and physiological conditions. Bridget first joined the 2 Thumbs Up Hand Therapy team in 2018 when she worked as a rehabilitation aide and became interested in OT hand therapy. Bridget completed her affiliations with Spaulding Nursing & Therapy Center and Maine Medical Center, learning about healthcare conditions at the inpatient acute care level. She also currently works as a per diem therapist at Spaulding Cape Cod.

In her spare time, Bridget enjoys going hiking, snowboarding, yoga and running. She completed the Boston Marathon, raising money in support of a pro bono healthcare clinic. She loves traveling, cooking and spending time with friends and family.