Karen Ashforth, MS, OTR, CLT-LANA

Karen began her career in occupational therapy in 1981 and initially worked in acute, home health, outpatient, and adult day health settings. She served as a rehabilitation clinical specialist in two of these settings and managed a multi-disciplinary staff of 16 occupational, physical, and speech therapists and social workers. Karen became Board Certified in Hand Therapy in 1993. That area of practice led her to lymphedema. She completed her lymphedema certification in 2003.

Karen’s passions in lymphedema practice are equipment innovation and development, treatment of underlying fibrosis and inflammation, and assessment of complex and difficult cases. She is considered an expert in clinical use of pneumatic compression and has participated in development of numerous devices and appliances. She currently works at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, California, providing inpatient and outpatient lymphedema treatment. Karen also has a private consulting practice.

Karen speaks frequently at academic, clinical, and professional settings and performs clinical research that she presents and publishes nationally and internationally. Her presentations have included four International Lymphology Congress meetings: 2017 Spain, 2015 USA, 2011 Sweden, and 2009 Australia, as well as medical conferences in the United States, Canada, and Israel. She is an adjunct faculty member with the University of the Pacific in the Doctoral Physical Therapy Program.

Karen has been published in: Lymphology Journal (USA), AOTA Practice Journal (USA), OTAC Journal (USA), Pathways (Canada) and Journal of Lymphoedema (UK.)