A photo of Jenny Marie Dorich.

Jenny Marie Dorich, PhD, OTR/L


  • Occupational Therapist III, Division of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
My interest in this work stems from my love of helping people—our hands are integral to who we are.
Jenny Marie Dorich, PhD, OTR/L

About

Biography

I am an occupational therapist specializing in pediatric hand therapy. I am also a researcher with two areas of focus. I lead studies focused on patient-centered care and patient-reported outcomes in pediatric hand therapy. Additionally, I lead research focused on long-term health-related quality of life in individuals with pediatric-onset hand impairment arising from conditions such as brachial plexus birth injury and cerebral palsy.

My interest in this work stems from my love of helping people—our hands are integral to who we are. When I learned about the field of hand therapy, I was immediately drawn to it. After working for five years in hand therapy with adult patients, I sought a new challenge. I learned that Cincinnati Children’s was starting a pediatric hand center, so I explored the option. I have fallen in love with working with kids.

Research improves the care and treatment for the kids I treat. I repeatedly saw that the patient-reported outcome tools we were using didn't ask questions about the treatment outcomes they said were most meaningful to them. As a result, I aim to develop a patient-reported outcome measure that measures the treatment outcomes most meaningful to kids with upper limb impairment. This tool will enable pediatric hand therapists and hand surgeons to assess patient progress and facilitate patient-centered care. Additionally, the tool may be used in future research to identify modifiable determinants of long-term health-related quality of life in individuals with pediatric-onset upper limb impairment. I love involving the patient population and enjoy qualitative and mixed-methods research.

I was honored to receive the New Investigator Research Award (2023) from the Orthopaedic Research Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) Annual Meeting 2022 Best Scientific Abstract at the American Society of Hand Therapists 45th Annual Meeting (2023,) and the Robinson Graduate Award for Research Creativity from the University of Kentucky (2022).

Services and Specialties

Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy

Insurance Information

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Publications

Impact of brachial plexus birth injury on health-related quality of life in adulthood: a mixed methods survey study. Dorich, JM; Whiting, J; Plano Clark, VL; Ittenbach, RF; Cornwall, R. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2024; 46:2042-2055.

uConsent: Addressing the gap in measuring understanding of informed consent in clinical research. Ittenbach, RF; Gaynor, JW; Dorich, JM; Burnham, NB; Huang, G; Harvey, MT; Corsmo, JJ. Clinical and Translational Science. 2023; 16:2530-2542.

Use of supported standing in males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Individual and family perspectives. Bonarrigo, K; McGuire, M; Dorich, JM; Bolger, A; Lambert, J; Horn, PS; Tian, C. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 2023; 16:553-569.

"Even though a lot of kids have it, not a lot of people have knowledge of it ": A qualitative study exploring the perspectives of parents of children with cerebral/cortical visual impairment. Oliver, H; Seccurro, D; Dorich, J; Rice, M; Schwartz, T; Harpster, K. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2023; 135:104443.

ICF linking of patient-reported therapy goals for children with acquired upper extremity impairment. Dorich, JM; Cornwall, R; Uhl, T. Journal of Hand Therapy. 2023; 36:74-84.

Pediatric hand therapists' experiences with outcomes measurement: An interpretive descriptive study. Dorich, JM; Howell, DM; Skubik-Peplaski, C. Journal of Hand Therapy. 2022; 35:233-244.

Evaluation of a Grip-Strengthening Algorithm for the Initial Treatment of Chronic, Nonspecific Wrist Pain in Adolescents. Dorich, JM; Cornwall, R. Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online. 2022; 4:8-13.

A psychometric comparison of patient-reported outcome measures used in pediatric hand therapy. Dorich, JM; Cornwall, R. Journal of Hand Therapy. 2020; 33:477-483.

Chapter 16 Multiligamentous Laxity. Dorich, JM; Little, KJ. Pediatric Hand Therapy. : Elsevier; Elsevier; 2020.

Multiligamentous laxity. Dorich, JM; Little, KJ. Pediatric Hand Therapy. 2020.

Patient Ratings and Comments

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4.6
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