NATA Inducts Six into 2014 Hall of Fame

Monday, June 16, 2014
DALLAS, June 16, 2014 – The National Athletic Trainers’ Association, a nonprofit organization representing and supporting members of the athletic training profession, will induct six individuals into its prestigious Hall of Fame at the NATA 65th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Indianapolis on Friday, June 27. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor an athletic trainer can receive. Honorees will be recognized for their significant, lasting contributions that enhance the quality of health care provided by athletic trainers and advance the profession. They have shaped the profession through their noteworthy accomplishments and dedication to service, leadership and professionalism. Since inducting its first class in 1962, the Hall of Fame now has 288 members.
 
The 2014 Hall of Fame inductees include Jon Almquist, ATC, VATL, ITAT; David O. Draper, EdD, ATC, FNATA; Mark H. Gibson, MS, ATC, PT; Katie Grove, PhD, LAT, ATC; Paula Sammarone Turocy, EdD, LAT, ATC; and Ken Wright, DA, ATC.

Jon Almquist, ATC, VATL, ITAT,is currently a concussion specialist with Fairfax Family Practice Comprehensive Concussion Center in Fairfax, Va. He was previously an athletic trainer with Fairfax County Public Schools for 31 years until his retirement last year. Under his direction as the athletic training program administrator, the program expanded to include 50 athletic trainers who provide comprehensive athletic health care for more than 25,000 student athletes each year.
Almquist chaired the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee and participated on several NATA and inter-association task force groups with particular interest in concussion management research and appropriate medical care in secondary schools. He has also chaired the Virginia Board of Medicine’s Athletic Training Advisory Board and is currently co-chair of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the Virginia High School League. Frequently published in peer-reviewed journals, Almquist has received numerous honors including the NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award and Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, and both the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame awards. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree.

David O. Draper, EdD, ATC, FNATA, is a professor in the department of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University, where he has worked for the last 22 years. He was the head athletic trainer at Illinois Wesleyan University prior to his current appointment. An avid researcher, Draper has been published more than 100 times in journals, has been awarded for his research and also presented more than 350 times in the United States and abroad.

Draper is the co-author of the textbook, “Therapeutic Modalities: The Art and the Science,” and has written chapters for other textbooks. He has received numerous research awards and has been voted Educator of the Year by the Utah Athletic Trainers’ Association. He has also received NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer honors as well as the William G. Clancy, MD Medal of Honor for Research, given to the association’s top researcher. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Utah State University; a Master of Arts from Brigham Young University; and a Doctorate of Education from Northern Illinois University.

Mark H. Gibson, MS, ATC, PT, is chair of the department of Exercise and Sports Science and director of the athletic training program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse(UW-L). He previously served as head athletic trainer at UW-L and prior to that held positions at Slippery Rock University, Southern Arkansas University and Southern Illinois University. He has dedicated his career to the profession serving as an athletic trainer, educator, frequently published researcher, academic advisor, site visitor, consultant and expert witness. He has taught athletic training internationally and is developing the profession in the European Union.

Gibson is currently chair of the NATA International Committee. He previously served on the NATA board of directors and was president of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame and recognized by GLATA and NATA for his years of service. He was also the recipient of the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. Gibson received a Bachelor of Science degree from Slippery Rock University and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and the University of Indianapolis.

Katie Grove, PhD, LAT, ATC, has served the athletic training profession as an educator and practitioner for nearly 40 years. She has directed the undergraduate athletic training curriculum at Indiana University at Bloomington for more than 20 years, 17 of which she also served as an assistant athletic trainer. She was previously the head athletic trainer at Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.) and head women’s athletic trainer at Eastern Michigan University. In addition, she served as head women’s athletic trainer, assistant professor and program director of the undergraduate athletic training program at Indiana State University.

Grove has served in many leadership roles at the state, district and national levels; has been frequently published; and has given numerous professional presentations. She has been widely recognized for her contributions including induction into the Indiana Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame, as the first recipient of the IATA Diversity Award and as a recipient of numerous NATA awards including Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer. In addition, Grove has championed full inclusion of women in leadership positions in the profession. She received her Bachelor of Science from University of Montana; Master of Science from Indiana State University; and Doctorate of Philosophy from University of Missouri.

Paula Sammarone Turocy, EdD, LAT, ATC,is an associate professor in the John G. Rangos School of Health Sciences and the director of the Pre-Medical and Health Professions Programs at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She is one of three founding faculty in the athletic training education program, and both its first program director and chair of the department. She is the inaugural Anna L. Rangos Rizakus Endowed Chair of Health Sciences and Ethics for the School of Health Sciences and serves as a consultant to Duquesne’s department of Athletics. She has given more than 100 presentations and been published in numerous professional publications.

A recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, she is a Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Fame member and former president of PATS. She was instrumental in the founding of the CAATE (national accrediting body for athletic trainers) and lead author of NATA's position statement on safe weight loss and maintenance practices in sport and exercise. She has served on several national and local professional committees and editorial boards. Turocy received a Bachelor of Science from West Chester State College; a Master of Arts from Michigan State University; and Doctorate in Education from the University of Virginia.
 
Ken Wright, DA, ATC, is professor and director of the sports management program at the University of Alabama. He had previously served as head athletic trainer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Morehead State University and as assistant athletic trainer at Ohio University. In 2012, he was appointed to the board of directors of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. He has served as a doping control officer since 1990, worked on three Olympic Games and been involved with the United States Olympic Committee as an athletic trainer and educator.
 
A recipient of NATA’s Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator of the Year and Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Awards, among other association honors, he was selected as outstanding alumnus at Eastern Kentucky University and received the Academic Excellence Award from the University of Alabama. Wright has served on numerous editorial boards, written for many publications and chaired and/or been a member of several NATA, USOC and USADA committees. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Kentucky University; a Master of Science from Syracuse University; and a Doctor of Arts from Middle Tennessee State University.
 
 “We champion the outstanding contributions of these six Hall of Fame recipients and their constant commitment and passion for the athletic training profession, says Chuck Kimmel, ATC, NATA past president and Honors & Awards Committee chair. “We recognize and celebrate this tremendous class of 2014 and all they do to support NATA, its wide reaching programs and the members it represents.”
 
About NATA: National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 39,000 members of the athletic training profession.