Athletic Training

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Program Overview : Admission Requirements : Prerequisite Courses : Curriculum : Articulation Agreements : Faculty : Students and Alumni : Tuition and Expenses : Financial Assistance : Research : Graduate Assistantships : Clinical Rotations : FAQs : Downloadable Documents : Accreditation : Fact Sheet

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.

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

Dr. Sauers, a NATABOC certified athletic trainer and NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist, serves as an associate professor and director of the Athletic Training Program and chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Dr. Sauers received his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Seattle Pacific University and his master of science degree in sports health care as a member of the first graduating class of the Arizona School of Health Sciences. He completed his doctor of philosophy degree in human performance at Oregon State University (OSU), majoring in sports medicine with a minor in adult/university education. He has served in a variety of athletic training positions, including the head athletic trainer at Deer Valley High School, staff athletic trainer at OSU Student Health Services, and coordinator of clinical athletic training in the Department of Recreational Sports at OSU. Currently, he serves as the chair of the NATA Post-Professional Education Committee and as a member of the NATA Pronouncements Committee. Dr. Sauers is an editorial board member for both the Journal of Athletic Training and the Athletic Training Education Journal, and serves on the Review Board for the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation and the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. Dr. Sauers' primary research interests are related to examination and rehabilitation of the athletic shoulder with specific interests in shoulder outcomes assessment, the effectiveness of interventions for treating shoulder impairment, and shoulder mobility assessment. He is an active member of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, has written numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles about the shoulder, and was a contributing author to Dr. Edward McFarland’s text, “Examination of the Shoulder: The Complete Guide”.  He has received research grant funding from the NATA Research & Education Foundation to study mobility in the pitcher's shoulder and has served as a research consultant to the Chicago Cubs baseball organization. Dr. Sauers has given numerous state, regional, and national presentations on topics related to the evaluation and rehabilitation of the athletic shoulder. He has twice served as a co-discussant for the NATA Shoulder Special Interest Group forum.

Jackie Kingma, M.S., ATC, PA-C, P.T.

Jackie Kingma, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, a certified physician assistant and a licensed physical therapist, serves as an associate professor in the Athletic Training program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Kingma received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical/health education and athletic training from Ball State University and a Master of Science degree in physical education and athletic training from the University of Arizona. She earned a second Master of Science degree in physical therapy at the University of Rhode Island and a third Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies at ASHS. During her extensive sports healthcare career, Kingma has served as a certified athletic trainer and/or faculty at the University of Arizona, Syracuse University, Ithaca College, and the University of Rhode Island, and also worked as a physical therapist in Scottsdale, Arizona, prior to coming to ASHS in 1995. She served two terms as the Advanced Track Subcommittee Chair of the NATA Convention Program Planning Committee and was an inaugural committee member of the Arizona Board of Athletic Training Licensure Executive Board. Presently, she serves on NATA Board of Certification Examination Development Committee. In 2005, she was inducted into the Ball State University Athletic Training Ring of Honor (Hall of Fame) and was named the University of Rhode Island Distinguished Physical Therapy Alumnus. In 2004, she received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Service Award. Kingma has given numerous presentations at the state, district, and national levels. Presentations have included topics such as joint mobilizations and PNF, as well as examination of the abdomen and thorax, ocular and maxillofacial injuries, auscultation of the heart, and general medical conditions of the male and female athlete.

John Parsons, M.S., ATC, AT/L - Curriculum Vitae

John T. Parsons, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, is a faculty member in the Athletic Training Program and the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. He holds a bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Marietta College, and a Master of Science degree in exercise and sports science from the University of Arizona. He also holds a Master of Science degree in medical informatics from the Arizona School of Health Sciences and is currently completing work on a doctorate in organizational communication from Arizona State University. Parsons’ previous healthcare experience includes athletic training in the secondary school and clinical settings. His areas of research interest include human and organizational communication, with an emphasis on how communication and activity contributes to organizing processes. He has also written and presented on issues of organizational and management issues in healthcare, as well as on disablement and quality of life as they relate to sports-related injuries. Parsons teaches both resident and online courses.

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

Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, an assistant 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 ASHS Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory, and her research has focused on the pediatric athlete with respect to mild head injury assessments and gender differences in ACL injury rates. 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. Currently, Dr. McLeod serves as the District 7 representative to the Women in Athletic Training Committee and the NATA Research and Education Foundation and is the association publisher for the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association. Dr. McLeod was a contributing author for the NATA Position Statement on the Management of Sport-Related Concussion and a consultant and contributing author on the Appropriate Medical Coverage for Secondary School-Aged Athletes. She serves on the Editorial Board for The Journal of Athletic Training and as a reviewer for The Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Athletic Therapy Today, 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 assistant professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and clinical education coordinator in the Athletic Training Program. In addition, Dr. Snyder instructs anatomy within the physician assistant program. 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. Dr. Snyder taught as a doctoral graduate assistant 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 (Mich.) High School and Summerfield (Mich.) High School.

Health Sciences Faculty

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, PT - Curriculum Vitae

Hillman, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer and physical therapist, is an associate professor in health sciences. She serves as the director of anatomy for Arizona School of Health Sciences programs, as well as a lecturer in the Athletic Training Program. 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 serves as treasurer of the NATA Research & Education Foundation 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," now in its second edition, and was the author of Interactive Functional Anatomy, a DVD-ROM featuring cutting edge technology, also in its second edition. Hillman has other articles and DVD/CD-ROM publications as well as a prolific history of speaking engagements.

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. Specifically, 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. 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.

Jamie Sauers, M.S., P.T., SCS, CSCS

Sauers is a licensed physical therapist, board certified sports physical therapist, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Currently, she serves as the president, clinic director, and co-founder and owner of Achieve Orthopaedic and Sports Therapy. Jamie earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from St. Louis University. She then received a master’s degree in sports health care from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. She is a board certified sports clinical specialist and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Jamie has practiced for 12 years in orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, specializing in the rehabilitation of the post-operative orthopaedic patient, sports rehabilitation, and the female athlete. Sauers was a Division I scholarship athlete in women’s basketball and has been the rehabilitation consultant for the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team for the past two seasons. She also is adjunct faculty in the Athletic Training Program at the Arizona School of Health Sciences, where she lectures on post-operative rehabilitation, sports-specific injuries of the female athlete, and female knee injury prevention programs.