Athletic training alumni newsletter 2019 – Director’s column
Posted: June 7, 2019
Greetings from a very sunny and warm Arizona. I hope this newsletter finds you taking some time for yourself to relax with family and friends before heading to Las Vegas for another National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) meeting and starting up another academic year.
I want to first acknowledge the work of our Athletic Training Student Association (ATSA) for their efforts in developing the alumni newsletter. They have been excellent program ambassadors and have been active within the University and the community. As noted in their year-end summary, ATSA engaged in many leadership roles at University-wide events including the Team of Physicians for Students (TOPS) sports physicals and providing athletic training services for local races and fundraising walks. They should also be commended for their fundraising efforts in support of the NATA Foundation, and their $4,742 raised won them first place for the second year in a row.
This June, we celebrated the accomplishments of our students with our A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) commencement ceremony. We acknowledged the accomplishments of our 12 students in the master of science in athletic training (MS-AT) class of 2019 and 18 students who completed their doctor of athletic training (DAT) degree this past academic year. We are looking forward to welcoming 9 students into our MS-AT class of 2021.
We are proud to report several notable accomplishments among students, alumni, and faculty this past year. Mark Krumholtz, MS, ’19, was awarded the Dwight Patterson Youth Sports Scholarship for his efforts in promoting youth sports safety. Kim Detwiler, DAT, ’22, was awarded a doctoral scholarship through the RMATA in April; Kristen Agena, DAT, ’23, received the 2019 MAATA Post-Professional Scholarship Award; and Brian Brewster, DAT, ’19, will receive the GLATA Z. Mel Blickenstaff Memorial Scholarship at the NATA meeting in June. Greg Janik, DAT, ’18, will be the recipient of the Arizona School of Health Sciences Alumni Chapter Board Distinguished Service Award at our reception in Las Vegas. We congratulate all of them on their awards!
Our faculty continue to represent the program through their excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service and have been recognized for their efforts at the state, district, and national level. This past year Bart Anderson, DHSc, MS, AT, ATC, ’03, associate professor of athletic training at ATSU-ASHS, served as a member of the Arizona delegation for the Special Olympics USA Games, received the ASHS Service Award and was recognized as the Distinguished Educator at the RMATA meeting. Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC, associate professor of athletic training at ATSU-ASHS, was awarded tenure. She and Kenny Lam, ScD, ATC, will be receiving the Journal of Athletic Training’s Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Advancement for their publication, Future Strategies to Enhance Patient Care Documentation among Athletic Trainers: A Report from the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network. Kellie Bliven, PhD, ATC, professor of interdisciplinary health sciences at ATSU-ASHS, has been named the new Editor for the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. Sue Falsone, PT, MS, SCS, ATC, L-AT, CSCS, COMT, RYT, continued her world travels and presented at the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in London and will be inducted into the Iccus Society for Sports Rehabilitation in July. Dr. Lam was also honored with both the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association and Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association Service Awards. Dr. McLeod received the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Society 2019 National Achievement Award for Athletic Training and she and colleagues, Drs. Bay, Lam, Root, and Valier were awarded the Hank Chambers Award for Best Scientific Paper at the PRiSM meeting in January.
We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas where ATSU-ASHS Athletic Training programs will be well-represented. We have 34 free communications presentations and 11 invited session presentations between students, alumni, faculty, and external collaborators. Please join us at the alumni reception on Wednesday, June 26 at Slice of Vegas from 7:00-10:00 p.m. If you did not receive the invitation and RSVP information, please contact our alumni office.
We would like to thank Sarah Piebes, MS, ATC, ’08, and Tim Nicolello, MS, ATC, ’11, for their service to the ATSU-ASHS Chapter of the ATSU Alumni Board. Serving on the ATSU-ASHS alumni chapter is not the only way to support the program. First, we simply ask that if you’ve moved recently or have just fallen out of touch, that you take the time to renew your relationship to the program and to the University. Visit the ATSU alumni page for more information on how to do that. Also, be sure to follow us on our social media outlets; like our posts, and comment, share, or retweet posts that you find relevant and interesting. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will continue to highlight our students and alumni. Please send any updates and accomplishments to Amanda Vigil, MBA, administrative manager for the department of interdisciplinary health sciences, or Kaylynn Schmitt, administrative assistant for the department of interdisciplinary health sciences.
Second, please consider providing your financial support to the Dwight Patterson Youth Sports Scholarship. This scholarship is the primary fundraising target for the program. It is reserved for current athletic training students whose research or leadership activities involve youth sports safety. We have had exceptional students receive this award and continue to make a difference in youth sports health and safety. If you are interested in making a donation to the scholarship, please visit the donation page. Your gift should be directed to the Dwight Patterson Youth Sports scholarship fund. Additional information about the scholarship and opportunities to donate will be available at the alumni reception. We appreciate your support!
Looking forward to catching up with you at NATA!
Tamara