I am Miriam Parkinson and I am currently the Director of Membership on the BAHT Executive Committee. I am an Occupational Therapist specialising in Hand Therapy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. I work for East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust and have a extended scope role which includes the clinical leadership of the hand therapy service. The hand therapy service is based at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.  I am relatively new in this challenging post and I am very proud to be taking our service forwards with a fantastic team around me. 

I have been personally benefiting from BAHT membership since 2001 and it has been my honour to work for the BAHT committee since January 2019. My main responsibilities include: answering member email enquiries, contributing to the management of membership surveys, representing member opinion to the committee, contributing to the marking of bursary applications, helping with planning and organising the annual conference and promoting BAHT membership. 

Here would be a good opportunity to remind you of membership benefits: Annual subscription to 'Hand Therapy' peer reviewed journal, discount for BAHT accredited courses and the BAHT annual conference, opportunity to apply for conference and course bursaries and research grants,  professional support via BAHT affiliated regional groups, the website forum and a recently formed advanced practice network, regular updates and news from the 'hand therapy world' via e-bulletin and free affiliation with the EFSHT and IFSHT, amongst others! 

You are most likely to be reading this because you are already a member. Please forward this e-bulletin to anyone you know would also benefit from membership.  

I will look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at this year's conference which is already shaping up to be fantastic.