NATA Now

By Lydia Hicks

NATA’s popular podcast, “The NATA-Cast,” taped a live on-site session featuring the NATA AT Compensation Task Force June 22 in the Indianapolis Convention Center during the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo.

Panelists from the NATA AT Compensation Task Force discussed what it’s been like to be an integral part of the podcast’s launch and some of the surprising finds they’ve made about the profession along the way.

After a three-year hiatus, the NATAPAC Breakfast returned June 23 with about 200 attendees during the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Indianapolis.

The NATAPAC Breakfast is the premier event and fundraiser at convention for the NATA Political Action Committee (NATAPAC), and this year, attendees got to hear from keynote speaker and NATA AT Compensation Task Force Chair Murphy Grant, LAT, ATC, NASM-PES.

Celebrating the profession and the resiliency of athletic trainers, the NATA 2023 Keynote Presentation, held June 22, featured Buffalo Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske, DPT, ATC, and associate head athletic trainer Denny Kellington, ATC. They shared insight into their lifesaving intervention when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the Jan. 2 NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Held in-person for the first time since 2019, the State Leadership Forum welcomed leaders from around the country June 21, in the JW Marriott, for part two of this year’s hybrid event.

Two new advocacy opportunities await at the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo – NATAPACk Your Bags and Rounding Third, both taking place June 22-24 in the Connect area in Hall I of the Indianapolis Convention Center.

Hosted by the NATAPAC Board of Directors and NATA Government Affairs respectively, NATAPACk Your Bags and Rounding Third are new fundraising initiatives.

Here’s more about them and how to participate:
 

NATAPACk Your Bags

At the end of the June 20 NATA Board of Directors’ meeting, which took place during the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo, the board welcomed four new members: Vicky Graham, DAT, ATC, representing District One; Scott Lawrance, DHSc, ATC, PT, representing District Four; Valerie Herzog, EdD, LAT, ATC, representing District Seven; and Cindy Clivio, MEd, ATC, representing District Eight.

While the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo is a great opportunity to learn, connect and celebrate the athletic training profession, attendees also have the chance to give back to others while in Indy.

This year welcomes the return of the in-person NBATA Gary Vitti Blood Drive and Be The Match Bone Marrow Donor Drive, both located in the Indiana Convention Center (ICC), Room 201.

Attendees of the in-person 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo will have several opportunities to connect and network with ATs in their settings or those who share similar professional interests during various town halls June 22-23.

For the first time, the NATA Secondary Schools Athletic Trainers’ Committee will host a town hall, joining the existing town halls hosted by the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee, NATA LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and AT EducATionalist Cabinet.

Hall I of the Indiana Convention Center is the place you want to be during the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. Not only is it home to the AT Expo, the world’s largest showcase of products and services for the athletic training profession, it’s also where you’ll find Connect.

The 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo educational programming provides attendees with access to cutting-edge research and the latest in athletic training education. Attendees can earn up to 20 CEUs, a major benefit as 2023 is a reporting year.