NATA Beat: Fall 2025 Advocacy Updates
Every day, NATA and the NATA Government Affairs Department are working on behalf of the athletic training profession. With staff members experienced in all aspects of the legislative process, the NATA Government Affairs Department is the sole department focused on advocacy for the profession. NATA’s goal is to ensure that all ATs can work to the fullest extent of their education and skill set. These bipartisan efforts consist of five key areas: state legislation, federal legislation, regulatory, reimbursement and NATAPAC.
Get to Know the Incoming ECE Chair
The NATA Executive Council for Education began its search for a new chair in July 2020. Former NATA Professional Education Committee Chair Brian Vesci, DAT, ATC, was selected as the new ECE chair and will start his term in June 1.
Vesci has been involved with NATA education efforts for a number of years as a member of the PEC, including serving as PEC chair for the past three years. He said he was drawn to education and wanted to be the ECE chair because it would offer him a greater platform to service the profession and affect positive change.
AT EducATionalists Offer Students Words of Encouragement
The April NATA News features content related to athletic training education, including an article by the AT EducATionalist Cabinet about students’ perspective on education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AT Helps Keep the Show Going
When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, Broadway went dark and theaters across the country closed, forcing performers and dance companies to figure out how to navigate the unknown circumstances ahead of them.
According to the old adage, “The show must go on,” and that’s just what Louisville Ballet has been able to do thanks to the efforts of its dance medicine team, including athletic trainer and KORT Physical Therapy Director of Sports Medicine Kevin Brown, MEd, ATC.
What to Look Forward to in April
There is a lot happening at NATA! Stay up to date on what’s to come each month in advocacy, engagement and development in this NATA Now blog series. Check out what else is in store for April, and follow our communication channels throughout the month for more information!
Watch the accompanying video as NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC, discusses NATA’s virtual conferences and other education-related opportunities taking place in April and year-round at NATA.
Advocacy
Mentors Faith Proves True
The March NATA News features an article about women in leadership and how to address barriers and challenges to becoming a leader. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, NATA would like to keep this conversation going through a monthlong blog series highlighting our female leaders. Each blog will feature a different NATA council or committee chair, who will share insights into their leadership journey and what they’ve learned along the way.
Understanding AT’s Shared Professional Values
What distinctive characteristics and behaviors guide the athletic training profession and are of importance to athletic trainers? This was the question the NATA Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee set out to answer when it began researching the shared professional values (PVs) of athletic training.
Finding a Voice in Leadership
The March NATA News features an article about women in leadership and how to address barriers and challenges to becoming a leader. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, NATA would like to keep this conversation going through a monthlong blog series highlighting our female leaders. Each blog will feature a different NATA council or committee chair, who will share insights into her leadership journey and what she’s learned along the way.
From Small Town to Hall of Fame
The March NATA News features an article about women in leadership and how to address barriers and challenges to becoming a leader. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, NATA would like to keep this conversation going through a monthlong blog series highlighting our female leaders. Each blog will feature a different NATA council or committee chair, who will share insights into her leadership journey and what she’s learned along the way.
ATs’ COVID-19 Response Saved Lives
Like much of the world, in March 2020, colleges and universities, as well as secondary schools, shut down to help stifle the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some colleges and universities, that meant students were sent home – that’s if they could go home. International students, graduate students and medical students who didn’t and couldn’t go home had to remain on campus.
Sidelined USA Supplies New Resources for ATs
Athletic trainers provide exceptional health care to athletes across the world, gaining an immense level of trust and respect from their patients and athletes. ATs provide a holistic approach of health care for athletes, who pride themselves and their identity in their sport – so what happens when an athlete is permanently sidelined or medically disqualified (MDQ)?