UCA Athletic Trainer awarded National Athletic Trainers’ Association Service Award
David Strickland
Head Athletic Trainer David Strickland was recently awarded a 2012 NATA Service Award. This is a national honor which recognizes athletic trainers for their contributions to the profession of athletic training and the association through local, state and district service. Strickland exemplifies the mission statement of the NATA and the NATA Code of Ethics by his conduct and advancement of the profession.
Strickland has been a certified athletic trainer for 18 years. In this role, he has always strived to not only provide the best possible health care for his athletes, but has exhibited great passion for teaching of young people. From the very beginning of his career he has been actively involved with sharing his knowledge, experience and desire to educate students about athletic training.
Strickland has been instrumental in promoting the Athletic Training Education Program at UCA into the premier program in the state of Arkansas. He recently served as a member on the committee that prepared the UCA ATEP program for the Commission on Accreditation for Athletic Training on-site review. The result was the ATEP program was recently approved for 10 year re-accreditation status. It goes without saying that David loves to teach. He instructs all levels of our athletic training students from Emergency Care with our Level I’s, to Head, Neck and Spine with our seniors.
A quote from Strickland reflects his passion: “Watching these students grow from introductory students to seniors to licensed/BOC professionals in athletic training is something I will cherish forever. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing my students apply what they have been taught in our program and save a life of a student-athlete. I am grateful to know I have the opportunity to help these students grow into professionals.”
Strickland has also served selflessly in our state and district associations. One of the more prominent highlights includes serving the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association (AATA) as its President. During his tenure as President-Elect, President and Past-President he was involved with the passing of (HB 1743 ,Act 1214) in 2011- A bill to promote the health and safety of students in public school athletic activities through the use of athletic trainers and professional development for coaches. Also during his presidency, the AATA was successful in placing “Athletic Trainer” on the third party reimbursement payer list and assisted with the establishment of the Arkansas Board Of Athletic Training(HB 1084, Act 1124). Strickland testified at the state capital in committee on behalf of licensed athletic trainers and the role we play as health care providers in the state of Arkansas.
In 2008, Strickland was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe to serve as a member of the Governor’s Council on Fitness for the State of Arkansas and is currently still serving.
“David is a consummate professional and is an outstanding ambassador for the discipline and profession of athletic training,” said Dr. Howell, chair of the Kinesiology and Physical Education Department. “I truly believe his most significant contribution is his daily commitment to athletic training manifested in every interaction with students, peers, coaches, student-athletes, administrators and the public in general. David embodies the meaning of professional service.”
UCA ATEP Student Receives Prestigious Who’s Who Among Students Award
Blair Sipes, a senior in the Athletic Training Education Program recently received the Who’s Who Among Students award.
Since 1934, the National Who’s Who program has recognized outstanding campus leaders for their achievements. Through years of serving higher education, Who’s Who Among Students exists as one of the most highly regarded and longstanding honors programs in the nation, having earned the over-whelming respect of college faculties and administrations. For the students, recognition by the Who’s Who program marks a pinnacle of scholastic achievement. This exclusive honor is conferred by more than 1,900 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Selections are based on academic achievement, student leadership and contributions to the community.
Blair is a senior in the Athletic Training Education Program, has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 while pursuing her career objective of becoming a certified athletic trainer. The ATEP program has a strenuous academic curriculum along with multiple clinical experience opportunities that require a student to commit to many hours outside the classroom setting. Blair assisted with the medical coverage of volleyball, softball and football specifically and volunteered many other times with other sports. She has also volunteered medical coverage several times for the AAA All-Star week in Fayetteville each summer.
Blair has been very involved with the Central Arkansas Athletic Training Student Association (CAATSA) that performs university and community service. CAATSA is involved with many activities such as Christmas food drives and Adopt-a-Highway. She is a sorority member in Zeta Phi Beta and has served as their secretary. She is a member of the Minority Mentorship Program and Big Brother/Big Sister program and role models to a 7 year old. Blair is active in her church and recently has become a tutor for young adults in grades 5-12 in math and science on a weekly basis.
Blair has been an exemplary student and the Kinesiology Department and ATEP program are very proud of her accomplishments.
Publications and Presentations
Veronica Rowe
Veronica T. Rowe, MS, OTR/L, clinical instructor in the Occupational Therapy Department, gave a continuing education course entitled, “Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) – Applying Evidence Based Research in the Clinic” to 40 physical and occupational therapists and students in El Dorado, AR, on March 20, 2012. The course was sponsored by the Arkansas Physical Therapy Association and South Arkansas Community College.
Steve Tucker
Steve Tucker, PhD, ATC, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, had a manuscript entitled “Reliability and validity of measuring scapular upward rotation using an electrical inclinometer” accepted for publication in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. Co-author on the manuscript is former undergraduate athletic training student Lyndsey Ingram, ATC.
Shawn Charlton
Bill Lammers
Drs. Shawn Charlton and Bill Lammers in the Department of Psychology & Counseling received a $1, 000 grant from the Psi Chi International Honor Society to support the Arkansas Symposium for Psychology Students. The symposium will be held April 21 and will provide a venue for psychology students in Arkansas to present their research.
Van der Toorn, J., Nail, P. R., Liviatan, I., & Jost, J. (2012, March). My country, right or wrong: System threat eliminates the liberal-conservative gap in patriotism. Invited address, 5th Annual Conference on Experimental Political Science, New York University, New York.
Mitchell, C., & Simon, J. (2012, February). Seeking interventions: Development of the Website Investigation Model. Poster presented at the National Association of School Psychologists, Philadelphia, PA. C. Mitchell is doctoral student in school psychology program.
John Murphy, Psychology & Counseling Department, presented a two-day Advanced Professional Training (APT) Workshop, entitled “Brief Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools” in February at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Simon, J.B. (2012, March). Enhancing hospital-to-school transition success: How YOU can contribute. Arkansas Mental Health in Education Association, Little Rock, Arkansas.