Athletic Training

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Faculty

Five full-time professors are dedicated to instruction within the Athletic Training Program. Additional instruction is provided by ASHS core health sciences faculty as well as a number of adjunct faculty. This arrangement provides the student with exposure to a variety of teaching styles and learning opportunities by a faculty with diverse healthcare related experiences.

John Parsons, Ph.D., ATC, AT - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Parsons, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, is an Associate Professor and Director of the Post Professional Athletic Training Program. He earned a bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Marietta College, and masters of science degrees in exercise and sports science and medical informatics from the University of Arizona and the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine respectively. His doctoral degree is in communication, with an emphasis on organizational communication, from Arizona State University. Dr. Parsons’ previous healthcare experience includes athletic training in the secondary school and clinical settings. His areas of research interest include the study of the effects of sports related injury (SRI) on health-related outcomes in athletes, especially pediatric and adolescent athletes. He has lectured and published on the related topics of disablement and health-related quality of life as they relate to sports-related injuries. He also has both teaching and research interests in healthcare policy, healthcare education, and regulation of healthcare professions, and has written and presented nationally on issues of organizational and management issues in healthcare and healthcare education. Dr. Parsons currently serves on the NATA Post Professional Education Committee, the BOC Standards Committee, and serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Sports Rehabilitation and Athletic Therapy Today. He is also the current President of the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association, and a member of the NATA District 7 (RMATA) Board of Directors.

Tamara Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS - Curriculum Vitae

John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine

Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, the John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine and a professor in the Athletic Training Program, is a NATABOC certified athletic trainer and NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Mercyhurst College and her Master of Science in kinesiology from the University of Colorado. Dr. McLeod completed her doctor of philosophy degree in education with an emphasis in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. She is the director of the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network and director of the ASHS Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory. Dr. McLeod's research has focused on the pediatric athlete with respect to sport-related concussion. Dr. McLeod has a secondary interest in injury screening and prevention programs. She served as a certified athletic trainer at the high school, collegiate and professional levels and as an instructor in the kinesiology department at the University of Virginia prior to joining the faculty at ATSU. Dr. McLeod was a contributing author for the NATA Position Statement on the Management of Sport-Related Concussion and on the Appropriate Medical Coverage for Secondary School-Aged Athletes. She chaired the writing group for the NATA’s Position Statement on the Management of Pediatric Overuse Injuries. Currently, Dr. McLeod is a Section Editor for The Journal of Athletic Training and serves on the NATA Fellows Subcommittee. She also sits on the editorial boards for The Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, and Athletic Training and Sports Health Care and is a reviewer for Perceptual and Motor Skills, Athletic Therapy Today, Journal of Neurotrauma, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the Board of Certification.

Alison Snyder , Ph.D., ATC - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Alison Snyder, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Assistant Director of Research Support through the Office of Research, Grants, and Information Technology Systems. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and physical education from Whitman College in Washington and her Master of Science degree in exercise physiology at the University of Toledo in Ohio. In addition, she received her Ph.D. in exercise science from the University of Toledo, where she majored in applied physiology and completed a minor in human anatomy. Most recently, Dr. Snyder completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Clinical Outcomes Research, awarded to her by the NATA Foundation. Dr. Snyder’s teaching emphasizes the assessment of clinical outcomes and evaluating the end result of healthcare services and she instructs in both the Post-Professional Athletic Training and Doctor of Health Sciences programs. Her primary research area of interest is in measuring the outcomes of various athletic training interventions as well as evaluating HRQOL of high school and college athletes who suffer sport-related injury. Another interest of hers is the use and development of patient-based outcomes instruments for the purpose of outcomes assessment and measuring the end result of healthcare services. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Snyder taught in the athletic training education program at the University of Toledo for four years. In addition, she has served as an athletic trainer with Health South and outreached to Whiteford (MI) High School and Summerfield (MI) High School. Dr. Snyder is a member of the NATA Outcomes Advisory Panel and serves on the Arizona Governmental Affairs Committee. Additionally, she is a grant reviewer for the NATA Foundation and a reviewer for the Journal of Athletic Training, Journal of Sport Rehabilitation Research, and Athletic Training and Sports Health Care.

Barton Anderson , M.S., ATC, AT - Curriculum Vitae

Mr. Anderson is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Education Coordinator in the Post Professional Athletic Training Program. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training from Missouri State University, and his Masters of Science in Sports Health Care from A.T. Still University. Prior to coming to ATSU, Mr. Anderson worked clinically for 10 years as an athletic trainer in the collegiate, high shcool, and clinical settings. He has extensive experience and training in therapeutic exercise prescription, fundamental movement patterns, and manual therapy techniques. As the Clinical Education Coordinator, he directs all aspects of clinical education, including establishing and maintaining graduate assistantships, coordinating affiliated clinical sites, and providing clinical mentoring to AT program students. Mr. Anderson is the primary instructor for the rehabilitation and Advanced Practice courses within the program. His research interests include therapeutic rehabilitation, fundamental movement screening, and investigating clinical reasoning processes and clinical education at the post-professional level. Mr. Anderson serves as the Electronic Medical Record Manager within the Athletic Training Practice Based Research Network, the Chair of the Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association Professional Education Committee, and the Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association Publisher.

Eric Sauers, Ph.D., ATC, FNATA - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Sauers is a tenured Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS), A. T. Still University (ATSU), in Mesa, Arizona. He received his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Seattle Pacific University and his master of science degree in sports health care from ATSU. He completed his doctor of philosophy degree in sports medicine at Oregon State University (OSU). His primary research interests are related to the assessment of clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life in athletes following musculoskeletal injury, the examination and rehabilitation of the athletic shoulder and post-professional athletic training education. Dr. Sauers has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles and given numerous state, regional, and national presentations related to his research. He is the President-Elect of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists and also serves on the Research Committee. Dr. Sauers is the Associate Editor for Clinical Outcomes for the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation and an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Athletic Training and the Athletic Training Education Journal. Currently, he serves as the Chair of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Post-Professional Education Committee and as a member of the NATA Education Council Executive Committee, and the NATA Foundation Research Committee. Dr. Sauers is also a Commissioner for the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. He has received the President’s Award from the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Distinguished Educator Award from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association, and has been recognized for his dedication to the athletic training profession with the distinction as a Fellow of the NATA.

Health Sciences Faculty

Kellie Huxel Bliven, Ph.D., ATC - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Kellie C. Huxel Bliven, is an associate professor in the Human Movement Program within the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at ATSU. Dr. Bliven also teaches seminar and upper extremity orthopedic courses and is involved in thesis advising within the Athletic Training Program. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Bliven taught Anatomy within ASHS for residential programs, including audiology, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and dental. Prior to her appointment at ATSU in 2008, Dr. Bliven was a faculty in the Athletic Training Department at Indiana State University. Dr. Bliven was recently awarded the “2011 Scholar of the Year Award” within ASHS for her research, which is related to the role of the sensorimotor system in maintaining functional joint stability at the shoulder. Her research interests include dynamic restraint of the shoulder, examining shoulder adaptations and injuries as a result of overhead activities in youth, upper extremity muscle activation during rehabilitation exercises, and collaborative work examining clinical outcomes in adolescent and overhead athletes. In addition to serving as the Vice-Chair of ATSU’s Institutional Review Board – Arizona and several other institutional committees, Dr. Bliven serves as the associate editor for the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, Chair of the Research Committee for the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, is a member of the BOC’s exam development committee, and is a reviewer for various peer-review journals. She is also actively involved in local community organizations, primarily focusing on service to women and children. Dr. Bliven received her B.A. degree in biology and physical education from Denison University in Granville, OH; M.S. degree in kinesiology from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN; and Ph.D. degree in kinesiology with an athletic training emphasis from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is married, lives in Mesa, AZ, and enjoys reading, home improvement projects, traveling, and outdoor activities.

Kenny Lam , Sc.D., ATC - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Lam is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Research within the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at A.T. Still University. He completed his bachelor of science degree in athletic training as well as his master of education degree in human movement at Boston University. He earned his doctor of science degree (Sc.D.) in rehabilitation sciences with a specialization in movement sciences from Boston University, where he investigated the coordination dynamics of human locomotion and pathological movement disorders associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery and taught within the undergraduate athletic training program as a teaching fellow. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Dr. Lam completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship within the Center for Clinical Outcome Studies at A.T. Still University that focused on healthcare outcomes assessment and evidence-based practice. His current line of research revolves around the prevention and rehabilitation of lower extremity injuries, with a special emphasis on sport-related knee injuries in the adolescent population. He is specifically interested in assessing the clinical outcomes of ACL injuries as it relates to health-related quality of life patient and the comparative effectiveness of rehabilitation techniques. In addition to his faculty responsibilities, Dr. Lam serves as the Clinical Practice Site Coordinator for the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN), where he oversees all aspects of education and training for clinicians across the country within the PBRN as well as the day-to-day function of the PBRN. Prior to attaining his doctoral degree, Dr. Lam practiced as a certified athletic trainer at Rutgers University – New Brunswick Campus (NJ), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA), and Boston University (MA).

R. Curtis Bay, Ph.D. - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Bay, is an associate professor of biostatistics in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. For the 12 years prior to joining ATSU, Dr. Bay served as director of medical research, Department of Academic Affairs, Maricopa Medical Center, in Phoenix. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he received a doctorate in psychology, with an emphasis in statistical methodology. Dr. Bay teaches courses in research methodology and statistical analysis. His current areas of interest concerns the relationship between patients’ illness epistemology and their subjective and objective responses to therapeutic interventions, as well as the application of structural equation modeling to medical research.

Susan K. Hillman, M.S., M.A., ATC

Hillman, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, is an associate professor in health sciences. She serves as the director of anatomy for Arizona School of Health Sciences programs. Ms. Hillman's career includes 12 years as director of athletic medical services and head athletic trainer at the University of Arizona. She has served as a consultant, assistant athletic trainer, and physical therapist for the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as the Philadelphia Eagles football clubs. She has served on the editorial board of the journal Athletic Therapy Today and the review board of the Journal of Sports Rehabilitation. She currently serves as a reviewer of home study courses for the BOC, and as a committee member for the NATA Role Delineation Study. In 2004, she received the Distinguished Educator Award from the RMATA, and the year before she was named Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer by the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA). Hillman earned a master's degree in physical therapy from Stanford University and a master's in physical education and athletic training from the University of Arizona, as well as a bachelor's degree in the same field from Purdue University. Hillman has published "Introduction to Athletic Training and was the author of Interactive Functional Anatomy, a DVD-ROM featuring cutting edge technology, also in its second edition. Most recently, Hillman served as author/editor of "Core Concepts of Athletic Training and Therapy", published January, 2012 by Human Kinetics Publishers. Hillman has other articles, book chapters, online courses and DVD/CD-ROM publications as well as a prolific history of speaking engagements.

Cailee McCarty , Ph.D., ATC - Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Cailee McCarty, a BOC certified athletic trainer, is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow within the Center for Clinical Outcome Studies at A.T. Still University. Dr. McCarty earned her bachelor of science degree in athletic training from Boston University, followed by a master of science in education degree in athletic training from Old Dominion University. She also earned her doctor of philosophy degree in human movement science with a special focus in athletic training curriculum and instruction from Old Dominion University, where she investigated the effectiveness of educational techniques to aid athletic trainers in learning the fundamentals of evidence-based practice. While at Old Dominion University, Dr. McCarty served as an instructor for several undergraduate courses within the Health & Physical Education and Exercise Science departments, as well as a teaching fellow for numerous courses with the Post-Professional Athletic Training Program. As a part of her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. McCarty assists with clinical outcomes and evidence-based practice courses within the Post-Professional Athletic Training Program, and assists in the education and training for clinicians across the country within the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN). Her research emphasis during her fellowship will focus on clinical outcomes assessment, while simultaneously continuing to identify effective educational strategies to incorporate evidence-based practice within athletic training.

Adjunct Faculty

Gary D. Delforge, Ed.D. AT-Retired

Dr. Delforge, professor emeritus and past chair, Department of Sports Health Care at the Arizona School of Health Sciences, maintains an active presence in the Athletic Training Program. Dr. Delforge's illustrious career as an athletic training educator has earned him numerous honors and awards, including the Sayers "Bud" Miller Distinguished Athletic Training Educator Award, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, and induction into the National Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame, and the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. Dr. Delforge has served on the NATA Board of Directors and chaired the NATA Professional Education Committee. Prior to starting the Athletic Training Program (formerly Sports Health Care program) at ATSU, Dr. Delforge spent 32 years at the University of Arizona where he served for seven years as the head athletic trainer before devoting 100 percent of his time to athletic training education. Dr. Delforge started one of the first two accredited post-professional athletic training education graduate programs in the country at the U of A and has mentored and educated a distinguished list of leaders in the athletic training profession. He has written numerous journal articles and book chapters, as well as the highly respected textbook “Musculoskeletal Trauma: Implications For Sports Injury Management.” He has also given numerous state, regional, and national presentations including a Keynote Address at the NATA National Meeting. Dr. Delforge earned his Ed.D. in rehabilitation administration at the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in health, physical education, and recreation at Kent State University.

Lori Michener, Ph.D., P.T., ATC, SCS

Dr. Lori Michener, a licensed physical therapist, board certified sports physical therapist, and nationally certified athletic trainer, is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to going to VCU-MCV in July 1999, Dr. Michener taught in the Department of Health Science at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa., and in the Department of Physical Therapy at MCP Hahnemann University. At VCU-MCV, she teaches Orthopaedics in the entry-level Physical Therapy Program. Dr. Michener's research interests are concentrated in the areas of shoulder and cervical spine with particular emphasis on the three-dimensional measurement of glenohumeral and scapular kinematics, as well as assessment of functional limitations and disability in patients with shoulder and/or cervical dysfunctions. Dr. Michener received a BS in general studies from Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pa. She then went on to receive her M.Ed. in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Following that, she obtained a second BS in Physical Therapy from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. Finally, Dr. Michener obtained her Ph.D. in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy from MCP Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pa. Recently, Dr. Michener received a multi-year, multi-site grant from the NATA Foundation to study the effectiveness of rehabilitation for subacromial impingement syndrome. Dr. Michener collaborates with the outcomes working group in the Athletic Training program to study athletic training outcomes and examine the role of disability models in athletic training. In addition, she serves as the clinical outcomes research mentor for Dr. Alison Snyder's post-doctoral research training.