About Aviva Wolff
Aviva Wolff, EdD, OT, CHT is an occupational hand therapist, clinician-scientist with a strong background in motor control and movement analysis. Her extensive experience working with performing artists and individuals with musculoskeletal injuries makes her an expert consultant to The Julliard School. She also runs the upper extremity clinical movement analysis programs and hand and wrist biomechanics research at the Leon Root, MD Motion Analysis Laboratory at Hospital for Special Surgery.
Her research interest is in customizing interventions to each individual's occupational needs and pathology. She utilizes quantitative and qualitative analysis of upper extremity movement dysfunction to generate data to better inform surgery therapy, and performance. She studies the underlying mechanisms of treatments for musculoskeletal conditions that affect upper extremity motion and function in order to further understand and develop more effective treatment strategies.
Her research has focused on wrist biomechanics and function, elbow biomechanics and function, hand and arm function in brachial plexus injury and cerebral palsy, and upper extremity injury prevention in musicians. She has independently led and collaborated with orthopedic surgeons, scientists, and biomechanists on several funded studies that have led to multiple presentations and publications.
Dr. Wolff has served in various leadership capacities in multiple professional organizations.
Credentials
Awards
Distinguished in Excellence and Education Award, Texas Society for Hand Therapy, 2026
Evelyn Mackin Travelling Hand Fellowship Award, 2024
Invited Honored Professor, Surgery and Rehabilitation of the Hand, Philadelphia, 2019
Vargas International Teaching Award, American Association for Hand Surgery, 2015
Best Scientific/Clinical Poster, American Society for Hand Therapists, 2000
Goldwater Memorial Auxiliary Scholarship, 1990
State Licensure
New York, New Jersey
Languages
EnglishPublications by Aviva Wolff
Patient Education
Selected Journal Articles
Fukumura YE, Wolff AL, Kijel MT, Lin E, Roll SC. Mapping review of musician well-being literature. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2025
Basseri B, Streeter S, Guiterrez Naranjo J, Wolff AL. Feasibility and impact of an expanded upper extremity musculoskeletal health for musicians (MHM) program on arm and hand pain in musicians. J Hand Ther. 2025 Mar 15:S0894-1130(25)00027-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2025.02.001. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40090772
Brutus JP, Tchiloemba B, Galstyan A, Lattré T, Wolff AL, Taylor A. Elevating patient experience: Transformative strategies in hand therapy. Hand Surg Rehabil. 2024
Weinstock-Zlotnick G, Wolff AL, Potter G, Robbins L. Children with Cerebral Palsy's Experiences With Adaptive Climbing: A Qualitative Study on Parents' Perspectives. HSS J. 2024
Jardon M, Nguyen J, Casaletto E, Ko L, Wolff AL, Daluiski A, Nwawka OK. Utilization of shear wave elastography to quantify and predict response to upper extremity botulinum toxin injections in patients with cerebral palsy: A pilot study. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2023
Wolff AL, Kwasnicki RM, Farnebo S, Horwitz MD. Dynamic assessment of the upper extremity: a review of available and emerging technologies. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2023
Wolff AL, Mancuso CA, Lee SK, Wolfe SW. Development and validation of a survey to measure patient’s expectations of wrist arthritis surgery. J Wrist Surgery. 2022
Wolff AL. Does hand function continue to develop in older children and adolescents with cerebral palsy? Dev Med Child Neurol. 2022
Selected Books/Chapters
Weitlisbach CM, Wolff A (Eds). Cooper’s Fundamentals of Hand Therapy, Ed 4. Elsevier, 2025
Wolff A. Musculoskeletal Overuse in Musicians. In Wietlisbach CM and Wolff AL (Eds). Cooper’s Fundamentals of Hand Therapy, Ed 4. Elsevier 2025
Wolff A. Management of Task Specific Dystonia. In Wietlisbach CM and Wolff AL (Eds). Cooper’s Fundamentals of Hand Therapy, Ed 4. Elsevier 2025
Wolff A. The Musician. In Jacobs MA and Austin NM (Eds) Orthotic Intervention for the Hand and Upper Extremity. Wolters Kluwer, 2021
Wolff A. Hand Function: Typical Development. In Abzuk, J et al (Eds) Pediatric Hand Therapy, Elsevier, 2019
Wolff A. and Duff S. Fine motor control in children and youth with cerebral palsy. In Miller F, et al (Eds) Cerebral Palsy, 2nd Edition. Springer 2018
Wolff A. Splinting the Elbow. In Copppard B and Lohman H (Eds) Introduction to Splinting: A clinical reasoning and problem solving approach. Mosby 2008
Mosca J, Cahill J, Cavanaugh, J, Scalise D, Rudnick H, Wolff A (Eds) Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Guidelines for the Orthopedic Clinician. Elsevier, 2006
Selected Presentations
Performing Arts Health and Interdisciplinary Science: International Intensive Workshop. Visiting Invited International Professor, Research Center for Music, Technology, and Health, National Tsing Hua University, Taipei, April 2026
Return to Play Performance and Production: Rehabilitation Pathways after Injury in Musicians. Invited Panelist. American Association Hand Surgery, San Diego, January 2026
A Musician Centered Approach to Prevention and Management of Upper Extremity Overuse Injuries in
Musicians. Instructional Course, American Society for Hand Therapists, Salt Lake City, October 2025
Implementation Determinants of Injury Prevention Programs in Music Education: Insights from Phase 1 of the Musculoskeletal Health for Musicians (MHM) Project, American Society for Hand Therapists, Salt Lake City, October 2025
Rehabilitation for Lateral Elbow Pain: A Comparative Effectiveness Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Accepted Podium. American Society for Hand Therapists, Salt Lake City, October 2025
Empowering Choices: An Interdisciplinary Model for Shared Decision-Making in Upper Extremity Cerebral Palsy Surgical Planning. Instructional Course, American Society for Hand Therapists, Salt Lake City, October 2025
Healing that lasts: How training therapists multiplies impact after war. Invited International
Luncheon Scholar, American Society for Hand Therapists, Salt Lake City, October 2025
Pain free performance: A collaborative workshop for musicians and clinicians on upper extremity
Musculoskeletal health, Performing Arts in Medicine Association (PAMA) International Conference,
Washington, July 2025
Implementation Determinants of Injury Prevention Programs in Music Education: Insights from Phase 1 of the Musculoskeletal Health for Musicians (MHM) Project, Performing Arts in Medicine Association (PAMA) International Conference, Washington, July 2025
Lateral Elbow Pain: To Treat or not to Treat, Invited Instructional Course. International Federations for the Societies of Surgery and Hand Therapy Triennial Congress, Washington, March 2025
Return to play following upper extremity injury in the elite athlete, Invited Panelist, American Physical
Therapy Association, Combined Sections Meeting, Houston, February 2025
Rehabilitation for Lateral Elbow Pain: A Comparative Effectiveness Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial,
Podium Presentation, American Association for Hand Surgery, Hawaii, January 2025
How to deal with your worst complication, Invited Panelist, American Association
for Hand Surgery, Hawaii, January 2025