Who We Are

Pamela Lawton is an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist

with over 30 years of clinical experience. She has taught at the university level and

focuses on clinical assessment and intervention; and is a content mentor for postprofessional OTD students in her clinical specialty area. Dr. Lawton began her

career in acute rehabilitation and became very interested in the hand therapy

specialty early as a clinician. She continued to work in acute care until 1991, when

after becoming certified, she opened her private practice office in hand therapy.

She received her Masters of Arts degree in Occupational Therapy from New York

University and in 2010 completed a Clinical Doctorate (Doctor of Professional

Studies) with a Specialization in the Upper Quadrant at NYU. Dr. Lawton

continues to maintain an active hand therapy private practice and is involved in

various professional organizations. Her current interests are related to investigation

of therapeutic intervention/management of CMC Joint OA in adults and those with

Lupus (SLE). Dr. Lawton has taught as an adjunct educator throughout her clinical

career with a focus on instruction in clinical reasoning, assessment and therapeutic

intervention for hand conditions. She was Visiting Assistant Professor at NYU

Steinhardt in the Occupational Therapy Department for a two year (2021-2023)

faculty appointment. She has contributed to professional organization conferences

through poster sessions and course presentations. Dr. Lawton has developed

assessment and intervention education training modules for therapists interested in

the hand therapy specialty area and co-lead a hand therapy clinical mentorship

program for beginning therapists focused on obtaining certification in hand

therapy. She enjoys cycling, gardening and home design.

Eric holds a Master of Arts degree in Occupational Therapy from New York University and has more than 20 years of experience working as an occupational therapist in various settings, including In/Out-Patient rehabilitation and acute/long-term care. His present clinical focus is hand therapy and school-based pediatrics. He is also certified in wound care and has been a Heights Hand Therapy OT team member since 2012. Eric is passionate about hand therapy and enjoys providing excellent professional care to help his patients achieve optimal hand function. In his spare time Eric enjoys exercising, hiking, reading, meditating, and traveling. He is pursuing his doctorate in occupational therapy at St. Catherine's University.

Natasha Hakata, MS, OTR/L, CHT

Natasha holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from New York University and received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin. She began her specialization in hand therapy with an appreciation of anatomy and a clinical experience with Heights Hand Therapy OT, and was invited to join the Heights Hand Therapy OT team in 2016. She continues to develop her skills in hand therapy through collaboration, continued study, experience in home health therapy, and has achieved specialty certification in hand therapy. She truly enjoys working with people to help them regain function to return to their meaningful activities. Natasha can also be found inside a theater, enjoys drinking tea and making her way through a stack of books and films.

Sara holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from SUNY Downstate Health Science Center in Brooklyn, New York. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in Judaic Studies from Yeshiva University Stern College for Women. Sara began her focused study in hand therapy through a selective fieldwork experience at Heights Hand Therapy OT and was invited to join the Heights Hand Therapy OT team in 2008. She has dedicated her career for the past 14 years in helping patients regain function in their hands following an injury, surgery, or brain injury. Sara recently began researching the benefits of hand therapy intervention following stroke and has been treating several patients 1-2 years post stroke (due to limited care in acute rehab facilities during COVID) with deficits in hand function/ digital motion and strength.  She is in preparation to obtain her certification in hand therapy. Sara enjoys spending time with her amazing husband and four incredible children.