Dr. Erika Lewis completed her doctoral degree in 2004 in Leadership and Schooling from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  Her dissertation was on the topic of “Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence and Clinical Performance of Physical Therapy Graduate Students”.  Her M.S. in Physical Therapy degree was also earned from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1992 and her undergraduate degree in Pre-Physical Therapy was an individually designed program combining Exercise Science, Psychology, and Dance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dr. Lewis's cinical experience has been in Hand Therapy since 1994 in addition to experience in the orthopedic acute care, rehab and outpatient settings and COPD in the rehab setting.  She continues to work Per Diem in Hand Therapy at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. She has been an invited lecturer numerous times on the topic of Hand Therapy and related physical therapy interventions for medical groups and physical therapists in clinical practice.  She was also an invited lecturer on the topic of Emotional Intelligence.

Dr. Lewis is involved in the university community as a member of the Enrollment Issue Committee and the Faculty Senate.  She is a member of the APTA, the Education Section of the APTA, and the Massachusetts Central District Division of the APTA.  She is also a member of the Hand Therapy Special Interest Group, Baystate Chapter.