Continuing Education Excellence Award Winners

2012 - Kristine Boyle-Walker, MPT, OCS, ATC

Kris is a graduate of California State University Long Beach and Chapman University. She currently serves as Chair of the NATA Convention Program Committee and has served on the committee in other capacities for the past eight years. She has also chaired the NATA Continuing Education Committee as well as, served on many other NATA and FWATA committees, project teams and task forces. Kris has organized and served as presenter for numerous NATA workshops and annual symposiums. She has been the recipient of many NATA and FWATA awards including, Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer, recognizing her contributions to the athletic training profession. Kris currently serves as Assistant Director of Physical Therapy for Orthopaedic Specialty Institute in Orange, California and serves as adjunct faculty for Chapman University.

2012 - Sayers John Miller, III, PhD, PT, ATC

John is currently an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Penn State University. Half of his time is spent teaching in Penn State’s Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program and the other half working as a physical therapist at Penn State Orthopedics Physical Therapy and as a rehabilitation specialist with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. His clinical interests include manual therapy and the treatment of spinal dysfunction. He has pursued extensive continuing education in these areas and has presented nationally and internationally on these subjects.
 
John received his B.S degree in Health and Physical Education and his PhD in Kinesiology from Penn State University. He also received an MA degree in Physical Therapy from Stanford University. He was in the undergraduate athletic training program while pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Penn State.
 
His professional experiences include being an assistant athletic trainer with the San Francisco Forty-Niners and being selected as the AT for the US Freestyle Ski Team at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France. He also owned an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic in Seattle for 10 years before returning to Penn State to pursue his PhD.
 
He has been a member of the NATA Continuing Education Committee and the NATA Convention Program Committee. The Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award for 2013.

2011 - Laura Decoster, ATC

Laura C. Decoster, ATC is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and care in musculoskeletal and sports medicine.  NHMI runs the longest-standing post-professional education program for athletic trainers (NHMI’s Integrated Clinical Sports Medicine Residency) and provides continuing education for musculoskeletal health care professionals.  Laura is an active researcher with more than 25 peer-reviewed publications primarily in the area of emergency management of football equipment.  Laura has also contributed to the field of athletic training on local and regional levels including stints on the NHATA executive committee, the EATA research committee and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the NH Council on Sport-Related Concussion.  In her NHMI role, she oversees sports medicine coverage for ten New Hampshire high schools.

2010 - Valerie Herzog, EdD, LAT, ATC

Valerie Herzog, EdD, LAT, ATC, serves as the Graduate Athletic Training Program Director at Weber State University in Ogden, UT, and has worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer for 17 years. In 2005, she was awarded Athletic Trainer of the Year in WV. She has served on the Board of Certification Board of Directors. She completed her bachelors degree in Athletic Training at Alderson-Broaddus College (WV), her masters degree in Athletic Training at the University of Virginia, and her doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration at Marshall University (WV).

She has served with conference development on the state, district, and national levels. She chaired the committees responsible for planning the educational program for the Utah Athletic Trainers’ Association and Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association for several years each. She serves on the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Convention Program Committee, where she is responsible for planning and coordinating the Special Topics Presentations (formerly known as workshops) as well as the Peer-to-Peer Discussions. In addition, she serves on the Board of Certification Athletic Training Regulatory Conference Advisory Panel.

Dr. Herzog has also published several manuscripts and given several presentations at state, district, and national Athletic Training Conferences on topics including Pain Theories, the Pregnant Athlete, Leadership, Interview Skills, and Resume Preparation.

2008 - Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT

Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT is an Associate Professor and the Vice Chair of Sports Medicine in the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, where he also serves as the Executive Director for the Sports Medicine & Athletic Related Trauma (SMART) Institute, a component of USF Health.

Dr. Konin earned a PhD degree in physical therapy from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Delaware. He holds a master’s degree in education specializing in athletic training and sports medicine from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and bachelor’s degree in health & physical education from Eastern Connecticut State University.

Prior to joining USF Health, Dr. Konin was a tenured associate professor and the Director of Sports Medicine at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He also held positions at Delaware Tech as an instructor and head athletic trainer in Georgetown, Delaware, as well as a clinical athletic trainer for Health South Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.

Dr. Konin has been a frequent invited guest speaker, presenting on various sports medicine topics throughout the United States and internationally in Italy, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand. He has also spoken at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposium, The NATA Educator’s Conference, the American Physical Therapy Associations Combined Sections Meetings, at NATA State & District Meetings, and APTA State component meetings in Florida, Oregon, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and New York. He has given numerous one and two-day continuing education seminars to healthcare professionals on topics ranging from youth sports injuries to the evaluation and treatment intervention of orthopaedic conditions.

Dr. Konin’s written textbooks have included Clinical Athletic Training, Special Tests for Orthopedic Examination (3 editions, translations in Spanish & Korean), Practical Kinesiology for the Physical Therapist Assistant (translation in Portugese), Reimbursement for Athletic Trainers, Documentation for Athletic Training, and Behind the Scenes as a Team Physician.. He has also served as the series editor for CD-ROM’s titled Goniometry, Gait Analysis, and Manual Muscle Testing.

Dr. Konin has been the recipient of numerous awards, for his teaching, advising, and leadership roles. In 2003, he was named the Distinguished Alumnus from Eastern Connecticut State University. In 2008, along with the Continuing Education Excellence Award. Dr. Konin was recognized with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association recognized Service Award for his professional achievements.

2007-Scott Barker, MS, ATC

Mr. Barker is Head Athletic Trainer at California State University, Chico where he also serves as instructor in the Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science. His creative works in the area of technology have been instrumental in the development of the virtual learning environment for athletic trainers. He has designed several interactive multimedia software programs which have contributed to the continuing education of the athletic training profession. He also designed an interactive multimedia software program for the Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association Students’ “Jeopardy Challenge.” In addition, Mr. Barker was instrumental in creating the conceptual framework for NATAs Virtual Library on-line continuing education center, as well as designed the software for the initial courses and quizzes.

Mr. Barker has also authored several articles related to eLearning and Athletic Training. He has served on several district and national committees and has presented nationally on subjects related to educational multimedia.

Mr. Barker has been honored by NATAs Educational Multimedia Committee for Educational Software Production on five occasions. In 2005 he was named College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences from the University of Arizona.

2006-Peggy Houglum, PhD, ATC, PT

Dr. Houglum is an assistant Professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She served on NATA’s Professional Education Committee for 10 years during which time she organized and hosted all of NATA’s continuing education workshops, including collaborative efforts with the APTA and the USOC. Dr. Houglum served as chair of the Continuing Education Committee from its inception in 1997 through two full terms, stepping down in 2005. During her tenure, new venues of the delivery of continuing education were developed, increasing both the depth and breadth of the content being offered.

Dr. Houglum has authored textbooks including Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries, as well as chapters in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine. She serves as Clinical Applications Editor of the Journal of Athletic Training and on the editorial board of the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. Dr. Houglum is a highly sought after lecturer who has made countless presentations internationally, nationally and regionally.

Dr. Houglum was named to the NATA Hall of Fame in 2002, and received NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 1996. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Minnesota, master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana State University, and her PhD in sports medicine from the University of Virginia.

2005-Stanley Herring, MD

Dr. Stanley Herring received his medical degree from the University of Texas, Health Center at Dallas, Southwestern Medical School. For over 15 years he has specialized in spine care at Puget Sound Sports and Spine Physicians in Seattle, Washington. He has served as Team Physician for the Seattle Seahawks and the University of Washington, as well as, consultant for the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco Forty Niners and the University of Washington Sports Medicine Programs.

Dr. Herring has authored numerous textbooks, chapters and journal articles relating to the physiology of injury, spine care and the athlete, and team physician preparedness. He has been a member of several editorial boards including The Physician and Sports Medicine, Medicine and Science in Sports, Exercise and Current Sports Medicine Reports and The Spine Journal. Dr. Herring has served as a Board Member for the American College of Sports Medicine as well as chair for their Task Force on Clinical Sports Medicine Leadership. He also served on the Spine in Sports Medicine Task Force - North American Spine Society. He contributed to the monograph: Prehospital Care of the Spine Injured Athlete: A Document from the Inter-Association Task Force for Appropriate Care of the Spine Injured Athlete.

Dr. Herring is a well sought after speaker who has given numerous presentations in the athletic training arena. He was instrumental in bringing a yearly session of the North American Spine Society (NASS) to the NATA Annual Symposium. He has also served as President of the NASS.

Dr. Herring received Honorary Membership into the NATA in 2005 and the Citation Award from the American College of Sports Medicine in 2004. He also received the Distinguished Clinician Award in 1999 from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Excellence in Teaching Award in 1977 from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of the New Jersey Medical School.