ATLAS

Korey Stringer Institute Announces 2018 Lifesaving Awards

KSI Perfomance/Safety Logo(May 14th, 2018) — The Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) is proud to honor three individuals for theiroutstanding contributions to preventing sudden death in sport through the KSI’s 2018 lifesaving awards.The awards were presented at NFL headquarters in New York City, NY during the KSI’s annualfundraising gala on May 10, 2018.

Located at the University of Connecticut, the Korey Stringer Institute is a national research and advocacy organization dedicated to maximizing performance, optimizing safety, and preventing sudden death among athletes, warfighters, and laborers.

The 2018 award recipients are:

KSI Lifesaving Research Award

This award recognizes exceptional dedication and work in research aimed to advance knowledge regarding the prevention of sudden death in sport.

Scott Anderson, ATC

Head Athletic Trainer University of Oklahoma

The head athletic trainer for the University of Oklahoma since 1996, Scott Anderson is currently president of the College Athletic Trainers’ Society and the Big 12 Conference representative to the NCAA Concussion Safety Committee. He is former co-director of the Summit on Safety in College Football (2014, 2016). His prior service includes

membership on the NCAA Concussion Task Force (2014) and the Inter-Association Task Force on Safety in Football: Off-Season Conditioning (2012). He was co-chair of the National Athletic Trainers’Association Inter-Association Task Force on Sickle Cell Trait in Athletes (2007) and a member of the Inter-Association Task Force on Exertional Heat Illness (2003). He served as chair of the Big 12 Conference Medical Aspects of Sport Committee from 1999 to 2002.

Recognitions: College/University – Athletic Trainer of the Year 2006; All-American Football Foundation, Inc – Outstanding Athletic Trainer 2005; and 2000-01 Big 12 Conference Athletic Training Staff of the Year, and Oklahoma Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame.

KSI Lifesaving Service Award

This award recognizes exceptional service aimed to improve policies and advocate for the adoption of policies in order to reduce sudden death in sport.

Larry Cooper, MS, LAT, ATC

Teacher & Athletic Trainer Penn-Trafford High School

Larry Cooper has been a tireless advocate for secondary school athletic trainers.

He has been involved locally, regionally, and nationally on various committees, projects, and several inter-association task forces. Recently, he served as the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers Committee (SSATC) Chair and also the District 2 SSATC Representative. Cooper has been a teacher and certified athletic trainer for 35 years. For the last 27 years, he has served as a sports medicine, health, and physical education instructor at Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania. Cooper has also served as a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. In addition, he has held numerous positions within the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society (PATS) including being a member of the Board of Directors and Secondary School Committee Chair. Cooper is a founding member of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Leagues (WPIAL) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. He continues to work as a master assessor for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (PIAA) Wrestling Weight Loss rule. Cooper has been an active member in the KSI’s ATLAS Projectsince its inception. This collaborative effort between the NATA and KSI has led to new policies and policy changes that have increased secondary school athlete safety across the country.

Cooper was inducted into the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainer Hall of Fame in 2014. He received the NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award in 2014 and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2016. In addition, he received the School Health/ Training and Conditioning Magazine Most Valuable Athletic Trainer Award in 2015; The Micro Bio-Medics Scholastic Athletic Trainer Award in 2003; the PATS Service Award in 2005; and the PATS Distinguished Merit Award in 2011.

His favorite role has been that as loving husband to Lisa and father to their three daughters, Sara, Molly, and Delaney.

KSI Lifesaving Education Award

This award recognizes exceptional work to advance knowledge and education in the realm of preventing sudden death in sport.

Cindy Chang, MD

Professor, Primary Care Sports Medicine University of California San Francisco

Dr. Cindy Chang is a primary care sports medicine physician specializing in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries and illnesses related to exercise and sports participation in children and adults.

She serves as chair of the California Interscholastic Federation’s SportsMedicine Advisory Committee, and also served on the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). She is a board member of Racing Hearts, a non-profit organization that increases awareness of and improves access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in communities. After co-founding the California Concussion Coalition, Dr. Chang is now co-chair of the Sports Concussion Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. She was an elected four-year member of the Board of Directors for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), one the largest organizations of primary care sports medicine physicians in the world, and later served as its President in 2011-2012. She is also a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is currently an elected member of its Board of Trustees.

Dr. Chang has worked at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and was part of the USA medical team for the Winter Paralympic Games in Nagano, Japan, in 1998 and in Salt Lake City in 2002. She served as Chief Medical Officer for the USA delegation at the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

She was the 2003 recipient of the AMSSM Founders Award, given to a sports medicine physician who demonstrates outstanding professional achievement and service to the community. She was also selected to receive the 2013 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award, given annually to an individual for his/her contributions to the growth and development of sport medicine through practice and/or scholarly activity. In 2016, Dr. Chang was honored with the National Athletic Trainers’Association Jack Weakley Award of Distinction, for a lifetime of outstanding contributions that directly impact health care in the area of athletics, athletic training, or sports medicine and are of major and lasting importance.

Dr. Chang is currently a Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Family & Community Medicine. She continues at Cal as a team physician and sports medicine consultant, and volunteers as the team physician at Berkeley High School. She is very invested in supporting her athletic trainer colleagues and advocating for their licensure inCalifornia. Chang is medical director of Emergency Education Services at UCSF Benioff Children’sHospital, and has become credentialed to train others including athletic trainers to become certified instructors in First Aid and CPR/AED. She frequently speaks to community groups, schools, club teams, and the media on a wide range of topics affecting the health and safety of our young athletes.

 

ATLAS Update

Sarah Antasio, ATC

Assistant Director of Research

As of February 21st 2018, the ATLAS project is 100% Mapped. Translation = we have identified every high school with an athletics program in the United States (including the District of Columbia) and whether or not the student-athletes have access to an athletic trainer (AT). We have identified 20,443 high schools, those being public, private, magnet, alternative and special education schools. Within these high schools we have identified a total of , working either full or part time and providing care for the student-athletes during treatments and rehabilitation programs, practices and game competition.

A mission of KSI is to promote the athletic training profession as well as increase the number of ATs and appropriate health care provided to the athletes across all levels of sport. Our ATLAS data has determined that 66% (n = 13,492) of schools with athletic programs have access to an AT in some capacity. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association District 2 (DE, NY, NJ, PA), has the highest percentage of ATs, providing 57% of full-time coverage and 25% part-time.

The ATLAS survey began in June 2015 and we currently have a 49% completion rate. Surveys  have been completed by secondary school athletic trainers throughout the country.

The ATLAS project is a thirteen-person staff, consisting of 1 KSI faculty member, Dr. Robert Huggins, 2 Masters’ students: Brad Andres and Sarah Attanasio as well as ten undergraduate students volunteering their time to KSI and the project.

Click this link for type of AT services by district

2017 Summer Intern KSI Fellowship Experience

Miwako Suzuki, KSI Intern Fellow

My name is Miwako Suzuki, and I am an Athletic Training student at Indiana State University. Gratefully, I was chosen to receive the opportunity to intern at the Korey Stringer Institute in the Summer Fellowship Program. I am originally from Japan, and I studied Athletic Training there as well. While receiving my education in Japan, I found it necessary to learn more about prevention and management of emergency conditions, and this sense of mission brought me to the United States. I became aware of the KSI four years ago when I was still in Japan through Dr. Yuri Hosokawa, Vice President of Education and Communication at the KSI, and I have been attracted to the KSI since then. The past two months and ten days that I spent with the KSI members were full of great experiences and learning.

Among the several projects that I worked on during the summer, the main focus was placed on the Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) Project. The aim of the ATLAS Project is to determine the extent of current athletic training services provided in the secondary school setting, and it was launched in January 2016 with these goals:

  • Create a real-time database of athletic training services in secondary schools
  • Create a directory for each state’s athletic training association and high school athletics association
  • Assist states in moving toward full-time athletic training services
  • Provide useful data to each state’s athletic training association and high school athletic association
  • Identify common factors associated with increased athletic training services across the country
  • Provide data to assist with legislative efforts to improve healthcare for high school athletes

 

At the beginning of the summer, the ATLAS Project was at the stage of figuring out the extent of athletic training services in the last 10% of high schools that we had been unable to reach. To reach those schools, I have tried multiple methods such as making phone calls, writing emails to athletic directors, and searching their website for athletic trainer’s information. Even though I made some progress with these strategies, the most effective method was reaching out to athletic trainers of the neighboring high schools of the unknown schools for help. From this experience, I have learned firsthand that ATLAS is not only a great database but also a very useful communication tool. While interacting with high school athletic trainers throughout the nation, many of them showed their appreciation and support for this study. I am very grateful to be one of the members to propel this important project forward. I would like to thank Dr. Robert Huggins for including me in this project and always guiding me. I also would like to thank Sarah Attanasio, ATC, for teaching me and providing help whenever I asked.

Testing for the Falmouth Road Race study began in mid July. We conducted a modified heat tolerance test on recreational runners of a wide range of ages who are participating in the New Balance Falmouth Road Race on August 20th, 2017. Although the study will not be completed until the race day, collecting data on individuals’ physiological responses to exercise in the heat was a great learning opportunity for me. I believe that the wide distribution of demographics of this study allowed me to encounter various responses among the subjects. With regard to conducting a laboratory test, I observed the effort of the KSI members to make the study robust. I was very fortunate to learn from such experienced and passionate colleagues. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Yuri Hosokawa and Kelsey Rynkiewicz, ATC, for their effort to involve me in this study.

 

On August 20th, which will be my last day as a KSI fellow, I will be at the New BalanceFalmouth Road Race and will serve as a medical volunteer with the KSI staff. The Falmouth Road Race has been recognized for its high incidence rate of exertional heat illnesses because of the environmental conditions and its short duration (7.1 miles), which allows runners to maintain relatively high intensity throughout the entire duration of the course. According to a previous study from the KSI, this race has saved multiple exertional heat stroke patients each year. Since I have never encountered a real exertional heat stroke case, I would like to take this opportunity as a great hands-on learning experience.

 

I appreciate every aspect of the activities that I had the opportunity to take part in at the KSI. The KSI was an even greater place than I expected. All the members are making a great effort for their projects with the strong passion and commitment for the KSI’s mission. I believe that this is the reason why the KSI has been successfully leading our profession. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Douglas Casa for providing such a great opportunity. I fully enjoyed summer 2017 with such great colleagues.

NATA Clinical Symposia & Expo

Alexandra Finn

Assistant Director of Education

Athletic trainers from around the country gathered in Houston, Texas for the 2017 Annual NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. The four day Clinical Symposia provided athletic trainers with the ability to explore new areas and benefit from the latest research. KSI was well represented by fifteen presenters who continued the mission of educating athletic trainers about our latest research. The warm weather of Texas was a constant reminder of the significance of heat in our southern states, but the strong interest showed by attendees from across the country demonstrated that athletic trainers are gaining an understanding that exertional heat illnesses are an issue of national concern. The selection of so many KSI members provided a unique opportunity for KSI to further its educational mission to maximize performance, optimize safety and prevent sudden death in sport.

Presentations kicked off early Tuesday morning when Andres Almeraya presented in the Master’s Oral Student Finalist session. His research about “Implementation of Automated Defibrillator Policies in Secondary School Athletics” demonstrated the strong need for additional state legislation to mandate that all secondary schools follow best practices. Andres entered the day as a finalist and was selected overall the best oral presentation in this section. Congratulations and well done, Andres! Dr. William Adams presented his work on the “Implementation of Heat Acclimatization Policies in Secondary School Athletics” during the Treat the Heat Session.

This year four KSI staff members: Luke Belval, Alexandra Finn, Rachel Katch and Brad Endres were selected to present a Free Communication Poster Presentation on Tuesday morning. Luke Belval presented on “Sex-based Comparison of Exertional Heat Stroke Incidence in a Warm-Weather Road Race.” Alexandra Finn presented on the “Implementation of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Policies in Secondary School Athletics.” This research revealed that currently there are only three states that meet all the best practice recommendations in this area. Rachel Katch presented data titled “Cold Water Immersion in the Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke Remains the Gold Standard at the Falmouth Road Race,” which demonstrated the significance of a road race having immediate cold water immersion available to treat exertional heat stroke. Finally, Brad Endres presented on the “Epidemiology of Sudden Cardiac Death in American Youth Sports.” Congratulations to both Alexandra Finn and Brad Endres who were selected as Master’s Poster Presentation Finalists. Brad’s poster proved to be the judges’ favorite taking home top honors for KSI in this category. Well done Brad and his research team!

Dr. Rebecca Stearns presented research during the session “When Exercise Gets Hot.” Her study focused on “Repeated Exertional Heat Stroke Incidence in a Warm-Weather Road Race.” Following Dr. Stearns presentation, two KSI members; Kelly Coleman and Alicia Pike spoke during the Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Athletic Training session. Kelly Coleman presented data about the “Perceptions of Race and Ethnic Diversity on Athletic Training Clinical Practice” while Alicia Pike spoke about “Providing Medical Care to Male Sports Teams: Attractors to Employment for Female Athletic Trainers.

To finish the day, Dr. Robert Huggins provided an update on “An Overview of Secondary Schools ATLAS Project: Where Are We Now?” demonstrating the progress in mapping secondary schools across the nation.

The second day started off strong with three KSI members presenting. First, Sarah Attanasio provided insightful information about the ATLAS project. In a well-attended session, Dr. Douglas Casa discussed “Catastrophic Heat and Exertional-Related Condition Among Athletes.” Lastly, Samantha Scarneo presented data about “Implementation of Emergency Action Plan Policies in Secondary School Athletics.” Her study focused on the importance of every high school having an athletic trainer prepare an emergency care plan.

On the final day of presentations KSI members Kelsey Rynkiewicz, Dr. Robert Huggins, Dr. Yuri Hosokawa, Dr. William Adams and Alicia Pike all had an opportunity to present their data. Kelsey Rynkiewicz presented data on the “Implementation of Concussion Policies in Secondary School Athletics.” Dr. Robert Huggins presented on three different topics on Thursday. The first presentation looked at the “Presence of Athletic Trainers, Emergency Action Plans, and Emergency Training at the Time of Sudden Death in Secondary Athletics.” His second presentation provided data to support why all athletic trainers should be staffed and the importance of an athletic trainer in the ability to reduce risk and save lives. His last presentation was titled “State High School Athletic Policy Change Successes and Barriers: Results from Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sports Meeting.” Dr. Yuri Hosokawa presented information on “Optimizing the Direction of Care: A Secondary Insurance Claim Analysis.” Dr. William Adams presented information on the “Current Status of Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations in Secondary School Athletics.”  Lastly, Alicia Pike looked at “Examining Sport Safety Policies in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of States’ Progress Toward and Barriers to Policy Implementation.”

It was a privilege for so many KSI members to have the opportunity to provide much needed information about subject matters such as the prevention and care of exertional heat illnesses to athletic trainers who are heading to summer sport training camps or planning for preseason training for fall sports. When not presenting, KSI staff members took advantage of the tremendous opportunity to learn from colleagues from other institutions. The annual conference, which will be moving to New Orleans, LA next year, is well worth the investment to attend!

The ATLAS Project: The Start of Something Big

By Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, VP of Research, VP of Athlete Health and Safety

ATLAS UPDATE

There are countless new and innovative ideas that we have at KSI every day, but every once in a while there is that truly life changing idea. Even as daunting as that idea may seem, there is something deep within your gut, I mean really deep down, that you know can make and impact and is worth doing. The ATLAS Project was one of those ideas for us here at KSI and in true KSI fashion this idea would not be possible without the collaboration of the NATA Secondary School Committee and the members of the NATA.

 

The Athletic Training Locations And Services Project was developed by KSI from the “Athletic Training Services in Public Secondary Schools: A Benchmark Study” with the main goals to:

 

  • Create a real-time database of athletic training services in secondary schools
  • Create a directory for each state’s athletic training association and high school athletics association
  • Assist states in moving toward full-time athletic training services
  • Provide useful data to each state’s athletic training association and high school athletic association
  • Identify common factors associated with increased athletic training services across the country
  • Provide data to assist with legislative efforts to improve healthcare for high school athletes

Since its official launch in January, over 4,500 surveys have been taken by Secondary School Athletic Trainers all across the country. The Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association has the largest percentage of high school athletic trainers who have taken the ATLAS Survey closely followed by Mid-America Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Athletic Training Associations as depicted below. In terms of raw number of surveys California leads with 220 surveys taken and Pennsylvania is in close second with 203 surveys. However, if we look at percentage of surveys taken, District of Columbia, New Mexico, and Utah are in the lead with 80%, 71%, and 55% respectively.

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Currently KSI uses Zeemapsä by Zeesource to map each states’ Athletic Training services and we are proud to say that Vermont and Maine were the first two states to be 100% mapped. Delaware, District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Wyoming are all within 40 schools of being 100% mapped and additional efforts in those states by KSI and their athletic training associations are being made as we speak.
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Recently Robert Huggins PhD, LAT, ATC and Larry Cooper, NATA Secondary School Committee Chair, presented the ATLAS project data at the Collaborative Solutions For Safety In Sport Meeting held at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis and will also be discussing this with Athletic Trainers at the NATA Symposium next week in Baltimore where they hope the project will continue to gain more momentum so be sure to stop by booth #2057 at the NATA Expo to map your high school!

ATLAS Update: Vermont Taking Initiative

By Sarah Attanasio, Assistant Director of Sport Safety Policies

ATLAS VT

Happy National Athletic Training Month! As the word is spreading, more information is being collected about the extent of athletic training services through out the country. KSI and the NATA secondary schools committee continue to work together to encourage athletic trainers employed in the high school setting nationwide, to complete the ATLAS (Athletic Training Locations and Services) survey.

The ATLAS team has been working very closely with Denise Alosa, the District 1 secondary school representative from Vermont the past months. Thanks to her hard work in the state of Vermont, they are one of the first states to have responded and collect information whether an athletic trainer is present and the extent of coverage at every school in the state of Vermont. “The information in the survey is amazing, it can provide contact information within their own state or if you are looking to higher an AT for your school or improve a situation; the maps can be useful,” Alosa said.

As of March 2016, more than 3,400 athletic trainers nation wide have responded to the ATLAS survey. Alosa working hard with the ATLAS initiative comments, “Being in the profession for a long time, I have seen it evolve, you have to get involved to keep things moving forward”. The use of these maps can be helpful for present athletic trainers in the work force as well as new athletic trainers seeking positions as the vocation continues to grow and evolve.

With the influx of completed surveys the last few months, it is becoming more apparent what the survey can provide. Denise Alosa added, “Eventually we will be able to obtain insurance information, policy information and best practices within each state. It is good to start somewhere now, where it is doable. Any grass roots have to start somewhere.” The ATLAS Project has grown immensely since it was created years ago, with the dedication of an extensive work force of volunteers, undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctorates, professors and athletic trainers nationwide.

#NATM2016

ATLAS Project- Gaining Momentum

By Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, Vice President of Research and Elite Athlete Health and Performance

ATLAS SocialMedia

As we prepare for Athletic Training month to hit in March, secondary school athletic trainers from around the country are helping KSI and the NATA secondary schools committee get a better grasp on the extent of athletic training services that our profession provides. “The KSI team has been working diligently to market the ATLAS Project in various media outlets and get the word out there to secondary school ATs” said Sarah Attanasio assistant director of sports safety policies. “Thanks to the help of Rachael Oats and all of her colleagues at the NATA offices, the ATLAS project was sent out via e-blast in the NATA Range of Motion and has been posted on the NATA website The ATLAS Project ” said Huggins, VP of Research at KSI. One week earlier, secondary school chair Larry Cooper allocated some time during the NATA board of directors meeting in Dallas, Texas for KSI to speak with the members of the Secondary School Committee. Each district representative was provided with content related to the project for distribution to their members and for easy website viewing. As a sign of their excitement and eagerness to start, some regional athletic training associations such as The Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association and state associations such as Michigan Athletic Trainers Society and Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association are linking directly to the ATLAS Project and it appears to be making rapid progress.

“The momentum of the ATLAS project has really shown a positive trend after the official national launch of the ATLAS Project in January,” said Huggins, “we have seen an exponential increase in the number of ATLAS surveys taken.  At one point we were averaging almost 100 surveys per day. In the last week or so it has leveled off to 40 per day which is still fantastic.” In response to the increased demand, KSI has brought on five additional workers per week bringing the total workers to 10 (8 undergraduate, 1 graduate and 1 post doctoral fellow). “We all to help sort the data, work directly with secondary school committee chairs in each state, and make each map as accurate as possible” said Rachel Morris, KSI undergraduate research assistant.

The ATLAS Project is rapidly approaching 3,000 surveys and KSI hopes that their goal of 8,000 surveys by June will come to fruition. “As the word continues to spread within each state, our results will become more accurate and we will be able to not only quantify the extent of AT services, but gather valuable information about where ATs are hired, in what capacity they are hired, and the commonalities from state to state” said Huggins. With this project KSI hopes that AT associations will utilize the maps as a directory to improve the continuity of healthcare within their state, promote legislative efforts to hiring full-time athletic trainers, and potentially reduce medical and insurance costs. “The possibilities are endless” said Larry Cooper, NATA secondary school chair “and we are so excited about where this project will go in the future!”

Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Meeting 2016

By William Adams, Director of Sport Safety Policies

EATA Boston 2016

This past weekend KSI traveled to Boston, MA for the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting. KSI had the great opportunity to present during a 2-hour symposium on the recent projects, initiatives, and accomplishments of KSI to the EATA membership. The presentation was very well received and we received a lot of positive feedback following the talk.

Lecture #3 EATA 2016

The talk titled, The Work of the Korey Stringer Institute-Assisting Athletic Trainers and the Profession, was presented by 8 of the staff from KSI. Doug Casa, began the symposium discussing the latest updates on policy changes at the high school level and how policy changes can save athletes lives. Rebecca Stearns followed discussing heat tolerance testing and how KSI has been active in this service area in helping return Exertional Heat Stroke Victims back to full activity. Yuri Hosokawa discussed how KSI utilizes Social Media to share our current initiatives and latest sports medicine related news to our followers.

Lesley Vandermark, Alicia Pike, and Samm Scarneo presented KSI’s work related to investigating the extent of AT services at the high school level. Vandermark presented the results from the Benchmark Study published in Early 2015 by former KSI staff Riana Pryor that showed the extent of AT coverage in public high schools across the United States. Pike followed up with the recent data collected looking at the extent of AT coverage at the Private School setting across the country. Scarneo closed out this topic discussing the ATLAS project, which KSI is partnered with the NATA in helping map the AT services across the United States using an interactive geographical map.

Rob Huggins presented the available data we have on the insurance initiative that we are working on for the NFL. This project is focused on investigating the potential cost savings from an insurance perspective for high schools employing a full time athletic trainer. Lastly, William Adams presented on the current work KSI is doing in the world of wearable technology from both an athlete monitoring perspective and current research being conducted examining the validity and efficacy of using wearable technology in measuring hydration status during exercise.

KSI Group Photo EATA 2016

We are hoping to get the chance to present our current work at other district/regional AT meetings to keep other Athletic Trainers aware of what KSI is doing and how KSI is promoting the profession of Athletic Training from many different avenues.

2017 NATA Meeting Preview

Rachel Katch, MS, ATC 

Associate Director of Military and Occupational Safety

 

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On June 26th – 29th, members of both the Korey Stringer Institute’s (KSI) staff and Medical & Science Advisory Board will be traveling to Houston, Texas to present at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) 68th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. Topics for dissemination range from the most up-to-date biomechanical research, to preventing sudden death in sport, all the way to new ground-breaking research regarding insurance costs for athletic trainers. No matter the topic, these presentations will provide those in attendance with evidence based research and information pertinent to enhancing the athletic training profession. Specific dates, times, and locations for each presentation being disseminated by the KSI staff and Medical & Science Advisory Board members are available below in Table 1. Hope to see you at the NATA Clinical Symposia, and always, please make sure to come and see us at our KSI booth at the AT Expo!

 

KSI Medical & Science Advisory Board Presentations

Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC, from the University of Connecticut (UConn) will be disseminating multiple presentations during the course of the symposium. One presentation is titled, “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Strategies: Translation of Research Findings into Clinical Practice,” and focuses on introducing the most current ACL injury prevention research and the evidence behind it. Additionally, Dr. DiStefano has a feature presentation during the session, “Lower Limb Preventative Training Programs Best Practice,” titled, “Effectiveness of Lower Limb Preventive Training Programs at Reducing Injuries.” This presentation will focus on educating attendees about the effectiveness, best practices, and implementation of preventative training programs.

 

Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill will be presenting, “Catastrophic Traumatic Injuries in Sport,” during the session titled, “Catastrophic Sports Injury and Illnesses Among US College and High Schools.” This is a feature presentation alongside Douglas Casa, PhD, ATC, FNATA who will also be speaking during this session with a presentation titled, “Catastrophic Heat and Exertional-Related Conditions Among Athletes.” This session will focus on the incidence and characteristics of catastrophic events, and evidence-based policies and recommendations to minimize the risk of these events in the future.

 

From the University of South Florida, Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC will be presenting, “Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes,” as well as a learning lab titled, “Recognition and Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke.” The purpose of the first evidence-based forum is to provide clinicians with the best evidence-based clinical practice regarding the prevention, recognition, treatment, and return to play for the most common exertional heat illnesses. Second, the learning lab will focus on providing clinicians with the knowledge and opportunity to practice rectal thermometry and cold water immersion in a safe learning environment.

 

Also from the UConn, Stephanie Mazerolle, PhD, ATC, FNATA in the session, “A Multi-Level Examination of Career Intentions and Work-Life Balance,” will be presenting, “Individual Elements that Influence the Development of Career Planning and Work-Life Balance.”  This is a feature presentation that will examine and discuss research available regarding alternative therapies utilized in the clinical setting to promote work-life balance. Additionally, Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC from the University of Arkansas will be presenting, “Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes.” This committee session will focus on providing clinicians with the best evidence-based clinical practice regarding the prevention, recognition, treatment, and return to play for the most common exertional heat illnesses.

 

Lastly, Kevin Miller, PhD, AT, ATC from Central Michigan University will be presenting, “New Advances in Exertional Heatstroke Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.” This special topic presentation will discuss recent experimental studies that address the necessity of equipment removal prior to initiating cold-water immersion; whether cooling garments can prevent the onset of hyperthermia or affect hydration status; whether temperate water can be used to effectively cool hyperthermic humans; and how far into the rectum Athletic Trainers should insert a thermometer to obtain the most valid data.

 

KSI Staff Presentations

Multiple KSI staff will be presenting in a session titled, “Enhancing Safety of Secondary School Athletics Through Policy Change,” including Alicia Pike, MS, ATC, Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, and William Adams, PhD, ATC. Individually, their presentation titles are, “Examining Sport Safety Policies in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of States’ Progress Toward and Barriers to Policy Implementation,” “State High School Athletics Policy Change Successes and Barriers: Results from the Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting,” and, “Current Status of Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations in Secondary School Athletics,” respectively. This feature presentation will provide participants with evidence describing the barriers associated with implementing policy change from a state administrative level and the steps that have been made to initiate change to protect secondary school student athletes.

 

Additionally in a session titled, “The Secondary School AT Value Model, Minimizing Cost and Maximizing Safety from an Insurance Perspective,” Yuri Hosokawa, MAT, ATC, and Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, will be disseminating their respective presentations titled, “Optimizing the Direction of Care: A Secondary Insurance Claims Analysis,” and, “We Can’t Afford to Hire an AT…You Can’t Afford Not To! Reducing Risk, Saving Money, and Saving Lives.” In this committee session presented by the NATA Initiative, the speakers will: (1) discuss ways athletic training services may directly benefit multiple entities (insurance providers, policy holders, and school districts), (2) critically assess the secondary insurance cost to identify unnecessary medical costs, and (3) minimize the financial burden of secondary schools through injury prevention and appropriate risk management.

 

Lastly, Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC will present, “An Overview of the Secondary Schools ATLAS Project: Where Are We Now?” in the session, “Out of the Fire and Into the Frying Pan.” This committee session presented by the Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee will outline the use of the ATLAS project to show the concentration of secondary school athletic trainers and its value for potential networking within and between states and organizations.

 

Table 1. List of Presenters

Presenter

Presentation Title

Time / Location

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 27th, 2017

 
Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes 8:15 AM

BCC, Room 370

Stephanie Mazerolle, PhD, ATC, FNATA Individual Elements that Influence the Development of Career Planning and Work-Life Balance 8:15 AM

BCC, General Assembly A

Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes 8:15 AM

BCC, Room 370

Kevin Miller, PhD, AT, ATC New Advances in Exertional Heatstroke Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention 10:45 AM

BCC, Grand Ballroom C

Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC Recognition and Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke 1:30 PM

BCC, Room 342

Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC An Overview of the Secondary Schools ATLAS Project: Where Are We Now? 2:10 PM

BCC, Grand Ballroom A

  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28th, 2017  
Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC Catastrophic Traumatic Injuries in Sport 7:00 AM

BCC, General Assembly A

Douglas Casa, PhD, ATC, FNATA Catastrophic Heat and Exertional-Related Conditions Among Athletes 7:30 AM

BCC, General Assembly A

Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Strategies: Translation of Research Findings into Clinical Practice 7:30 AM

BCC, Room 370

  THURSDAY, JUNE 29th, 2017  
Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC Effectiveness of Lower Limb Preventive Training Programs at Reducing Injuries 10:45 AM

BCC, General Assembly B

Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC “We Can’t Afford to Hire an AT”… “You Can’t Afford Not To!” Reducing Risk, Saving Money, and Saving Lives 10:45 AM

BCC, Grand Ballroom B

 

Yuri Hosokawa, MAT, ATC Optimizing the Direction of Care: A Secondary Insurance Claims Analysis 11:15 AM

BCC, Grand Ballroom B

William Adams, PhD, ATC Current Status of Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations in Secondary School Athletics 3:30 PM

BCC, General Assembly A

Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC State High School Athletics Policy Change Successes and Barriers: Results from the Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting 4:00 PM

BCC, General Assembly A

 

Alicia Pike, MS, ATC Examining Sport Safety Policies in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of States’ Progress Toward and Barriers to Policy Implementation 4:30 PM

BCC, General Assembly A