Our Therapists
Cathy Merry, Certified Hand Therapist, B App Sc (Physio) M Hlth Sc (Physio), Principal
Cathy Merry has more than 30 years’ clinical experience in the treatment of hand injuries. She leads a team of qualified hand therapists offering a range of pre-surgical, post-surgical and non-surgical therapies designed to reduce pain and help patients to regain movement, flexibility and strength.
Cathy's early training in hand therapy was gained at the Sydney Hospital Hand Unit and later in private practice in Sydney. In 2006, she became the Director of Hand Injury Trauma Service Physiotherapy in Campbelltown and Liverpool.
Cathy graduated from Cumberland College of Health Sciences (now Sydney University) with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) in 1986. She completed a Masters of Health Science with a hand and upper limb major and passed the Certified Hand Therapist exam (through the Hand Therapy Certification Commission, USA) in 2003.
Cathy has been an active member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association since 1992 and has been a mentor in NSW for new membership applicants since 2005. She was the NSW/ACT divisional representative from 2010 to 2012, and has been on the organizing committee for a number of hand therapy conferences held in Sydney including the combined International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand and International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (2007).
In addition to maintaining a full clinical load, Cathy has lectured at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students in hand therapy placements. She has also been involved in a Rotary-funded overseas aid project teaching hand therapy in South East Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Cathy consults at the Hand Centre in Liverpool and at Hand Injury Trauma Service Physiotherapy in Campbelltown.
Maryanne Simpson
B App Sc (Occupational Therapy)
Accredited Hand Therapist
(as awarded by Australian Hand Therapy Association)
Maryanne graduated from the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) in 2000 and is a member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Maryanne brought a wealth of experience to Hand Injury Trauma Service Physiotherapy when she joined the team in 2011 after many years of practicing hand therapy at St George Hospital. She now has more than 20 years’ experience in the management of hand injuries and conditions.
She has a particular interest in the management of acute traumatic hand injuries and complex wounds.
Maryanne also regularly teaches undergraduate occupational therapy students in splinting/ occupational therapy at Western Sydney University.
She became an Accredited Hand Therapist (as awarded by Australian Hand Therapy Association) in 2018.
Saujanya 'Sam' Lama
Certified Hand Therapist, Bachelor of Health Science, Masters of Physiotherapy
Sam graduated from the University of Sydney in 2014 with a Bachelor of Health Science (Movement Science) and Masters of Physiotherapy.
He began his career working in the public hospital setting at St George and Liverpool Hospital. He has experience working in a variety of inpatient and outpatient clinical areas including: orthopaedics/trauma, acute care, neurology and rehabilitation.
He worked in the South Western Sydney Hand Centre for two years where he developed clinical experience in managing acute traumatic hand injuries and found his passion for hand therapy. He then joined our hand therapy team in November 2019.
Sam passed the Certified Hand Therapist exam (through the Hand Therapy Certification Commission, USA) in 2021.
Sam is an associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association working towards gaining full membership.
Ale Aguilera-Godoy
Bachelor of Applied Science (Sport and Exercise), Physiotherapy Degree & Postgraduate Diploma (Soft Tissue Management)
Ale completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Sport and Exercise) at University of Western Sydney in 2005. In 2015, she completed her Physiotherapy degree at University Santo Tomas in Chile.
Her love for hand therapy commenced while working on her thesis project on distal radius fractures.
After graduating from physiotherapy, she worked at a private sport physiotherapy clinic in Santiago, before joining the hand therapy team at Instituto Traumatologico (a trauma and orthopaedic public hospital in Santiago, Chile) in 2017.
During 2017 she also completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Soft Tissue Management at University of Chile.
Ale worked there for 4.5 years, before moving back to Australia in 2021. She joined the team at Hand Injury Trauma Service Physiotherapy in December of that year.
Ale has continued to further her skills and knowledge in the management of hand and upper limb injuries and conditions by attending post graduate conferences, courses and workshops.
Ale is an associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association working towards gaining full membership. She is also the Chilean delegate for the International Federation Society of Hand Therapy and continues to love hand therapy.
Ale is fluent in Spanish.
Bishoy Tawadrous
Bachelor of Applied Science (Sport and Exercise), Physiotherapy Degree & Postgraduate Diploma (Soft Tissue Management)
B Health Science, Masters of Physiotherapy
Bishoy graduated from the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Health Science / Masters of Physiotherapy.
Bishoy developed a passion for hand therapy while on placement at Nepean Hospital. He has since had experience in hand therapy from various Sydney based clinics and enjoys seeing all acute, chronic and post-operative patients.
Bishoy also has a keen interest in pain management related to hand injuries and conditions.
Bishoy became an Accredited Hand Therapist (as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association) in August 2022
Ching Yue Cindy Yuen
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy (2016)
Master of Science in Stroke and Clinical Neuroscience (2020)
Certified Hand Therapist (awarded by the Hand Therapy Certificate Commission USA)
Cindy completed a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2016. Then, she commenced working in a public hospital in Hong Kong, where she gained experience treating acute, chronic and complex traumatic hand and upper limb injuries.
In 2020, she completed a Master in Stroke and Clinical Neuroscience in the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
She relocated to Australia in 2022 and joined the team at Hand Injury Trauma Service Physiotherapy in 2023.
Cindy is a Certified Hand Therapist as awarded by the Hand Therapy Certificate Commission (USA). She is also an associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association, actively working towards accreditation.
Cindy is also fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Lauren Storey
B App Sc (Physiotherapy)
Accredited Hand Therapist (awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association)
Certified Hand Therapist (awarded by the Hand Therapy Certificate Commission USA)
Lauren graduated from the University of Sydney in 2010 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy).
Lauren began her career working at Liverpool Hospital across various inpatient and outpatient settings. In 2012 she was provided the opportunity to work in hand therapy for the first time and has never looked back. She was part of the hand therapy team at South Western Sydney Hand Centre in Fairfield Hospital since its inception in 2013 until early 2024. Across those ten years Lauren has gained extensive experience in assessing and treating a wide variety of acute and complex traumatic hand injuries.
Lauren became an Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association and Certified Hand Therapist as awarded by the Hand Therapy Certificate Commission in 2017.
Lauren joined Hand Injury Trauma Service in 2024, and looks forward to continuing to make a difference in her clients lives by rehabilitating hand injuries and conditions.
Reuben Chowdhury
Bachelor of Health Science (Sport and Exercise Science), Master of Physiotherapy
Reuben graduated from Western Sydney University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Health Science (Sport and Exercise Science) and Master of Physiotherapy 2020 (University of Sydney).
Reuben started his career in physiotherapy at Nepean Hospital in 2021 working across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. It was here that he discovered a passion for orthopaedics and hand therapy, particularly while working in the fracture and plaster clinics. His enthusiasm for hand therapy increased during 2023 while working in the Nepean Hospital Hand Unit.
Reuben joined the Hand Injury Physiotherapy team in May 2024 where he has continued to pursue his ambition of providing optimal care to facilitate the best outcome for all his patients.
As an associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA), Reuben is committed to advancing his expertise and is actively working towards full AHTA membership.
Winnie (Wan Ni) Fung
Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy)
Winnie graduated from the University of Sydney as an Occupational Therapist in 2023. Her journey into the world of hand therapy was sparked by her interest with anatomy and physiology.
In 2022, she had the opportunity to undertake her clinical placement specialized in Hand Therapy at Westmead Hospital. During her placement, she gained extensive insight and experience working with patients with various acute, chronic, and traumatic injuries. It has deeply refined her patient care expertise and set a solid foundation of her journey. She also completed the Upper Limb and Hand Rehabilitation unit at Sydney Uni, achieving distinction.
Passionate about delivering high-quality care and promoting optimal functional recovery, Winnie is an associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association, actively working towards accreditation.
Winnie is proficient in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Reception
Karen, Julie, Amy, Jackie, Denise & Sarita are the friendly faces you will see behind the front desk and are invaluable in making things run smoothly for us all. They are happy to answer any questions prior to starting treatment.