Celebrating Meryl Glover's Lifetime Achievement Award

We are delighted to share the news that Meryl Glover has been recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy for her outstanding contributions to hand therapy.

The IFSHT explains that the award was created to “…recognize any person alive or posthumous who has made an outstanding contribution to hand therapy internationally. The enormous contribution of the award winner will influence generations of Hand Therapists to come and benefit countless patients into the future. The IFSHT membership therefore expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to our pioneers for enriching our passion, Hand Therapy”.

The award was presented in Washington DC in March 2025 and, although Meryl was unable to attend the ceremony in person having only recently returned from her latest visit to Malawi, the honour was warmly received and deeply appreciated.

Meryl has dedicated the last 25 years to voluntary global work, focusing her expertise and energy on initiatives across India and Africa. Her work has combined hands-on treatment, professional training and the development of sustainable health services in under-resourced communities.

In India, Meryl was involved in a specialist hand surgery project primarily supporting patients affected by leprosy. Her role encompassed pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative hand therapy, helping patients to regain essential function and independence. Alongside two colleagues, she also played a pivotal role in establishing a Limb Fitting Centre in a rural area—an initiative that continues to make a life-changing impact for many individuals.

More recently, Meryl has contributed her knowledge and experience in Malawi. She has taught on two specialist training courses for both surgeons and therapists and has been an active participant in the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) five-year hand project. Now in its third year, this ambitious programme aims to build a sustainable hand surgery and therapy service within the country. Meryl will return to Malawi in August 2025 to continue this important work.

Reflecting on the award, Meryl shared that it came as a complete surprise and a great honour. She expressed heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported her over the years and to those who made it possible for her to pursue these meaningful opportunities.

For more information about Meryl’s global work or to support the Malawi project, please contact Meryl Glover directly.

About Meryl’s clinical and expert witness work

Meryl is an experienced occupational therapist, specialising in hand therapy for over 30 years. She has extensive expertise and knowledge of the hand and upper limb across Occupational Therapy, charity and teaching roles and is well-respected for her specialist opinion in the medico-legal sector.

Her expertise and knowledge have led her to work on high profile, complex cases including the Soho bombing and Paddington train crash where she was a treating therapist.