Dr. Kara L. P. Fumarola is a licensed and nationally certified Occupational Therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience. Her diverse background spans a wide range of practice areas including short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, acute care, early intervention, home health, school-based therapy, outpatient neurorehabilitation, and hand and upper extremity therapy. She also served as a Director of Rehabilitation for six years.

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Dr. Fumarola currently provides occupational therapy services through the “Aging in Place Safely Program” and conducts comprehensive driving assessments. Her specialized training includes certifications in Compassion Fatigue, CarFit, and AARP’s “We Need to Talk” driver safety program.

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She has presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) conference on a needs assessment survey for adaptive equipment in cardiac patients, where she also introduced a prototype design. Her dedication to the field was recognized with the prestigious Maddox Award.

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Dr. Fumarola continually advances her clinical and leadership skills by actively participating in and presenting at professional seminars and conferences. Her leadership roles have included conducting weekly orthopedic rounds, teaching joint replacement and spine education classes, leading monthly OT meetings, developing innovative programs for aging and driving safety, and supporting the operation of an outpatient clinic.

 

Education

• Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Marymount University

• Master’s in Occupational Therapy, Russell Sage College

• Bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy, Russell Sage College

• Bachelor’s in Human Science and Services (Family Studies and Counseling), minor in Psychology, University of Rhode Island

• Additional coursework in Law, History, and Communication, University of Edinburgh, Scotland