NATA Now

August 21, 2025 by Lydia Hicks

Students Cheer and Connect at Convention

The 76th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo June 24-27 in Orlando brought students from across the country together into an integrated convention experience in the Orange County Convention Center. From cheering on their peers during the 16th NATA Quiz Bowl and participating in the student learning lab to mingling with experienced professionals, student attendees made connections and bolstered their AT education.

February 17, 2015 by NATA Staff

Supporting Your Professional Development

One of NATA’s primary objectives is to provide top-notch professional development opportunities for our members. Anita James, NATA’s Director of Knowledge Initiatives, oversees this department, and her team works in collaboration with several member committees to address issues related to AT education. Anita gave an overview of the group’s current efforts and upcoming plans for 2015 to attendees at NATA’s recent Joint Committee Meeting, and we have summarized her presentation below.
 
Supporting Education from A to Z

February 16, 2015 by NATA Staff

A Busy Week for AT Legislation

Our legislative team was very busy last week! NATA supported the introduction of three separate bills: the SAFE PLAY Act, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act and the Secondary School Student Athletes’ Bill of Rights.
 

H.R. 829 / S. 436: SAFE PLAY (Supporting Athletes, Families and Educators to Protect the Lives of Athletic Youth) Act

Introduced Feb. 10, 2015 in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, and in the House by Rep. Lois Capps, CA-24, and Rep. Bill Pascrell, NJ-09

 

February 11, 2015 by NATA Staff

In the Works: Website Redesign & Targeted Communications

Tamesha Kennerson Logan, NATA’s Director of Marketing & Public Relations, gave a presentation to the attendees at the NATA Joint Committee Meeting in January 2015 that outlined several strategic initiatives in the national Marketing & Communications (MARCOMM) Plan for 2015. Two of the most exciting projects include the national website redesign and targeted communications plan.   
 

Website Redesign

February 11, 2015 by NATA Staff

NATA Supports SAFE PLAY Act

NATA is excited to announce the introduction of the Supporting Athletes, Families and Educators to Protect the Lives of Athletic Youth (SAFE PLAY) Act in the Senate and House on Feb. 10, 2015. Introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and in the U.S. House by Rep. Lois Capps (CA-24) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), SAFE PLAY also recommends a multidisciplinary approach to research and federal support to ensure student athletes’ safety in schools.

February 10, 2015 by NATA Staff

Interesting Results From Recent Studies on Youth Sports

In 1991, during the American Physical Therapy Association’s annual meeting, the keynote speaker was the Red Sox team physician at the time, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Arthur Pappas, MD.
 
An avuncular sort, Pappas served as Boston’s Medical Director from 1978-2004. His tenure in that position was not without controversy because, during its latter stages, he also held a limited partnership in the team.
 
February 3, 2015 by NATA Staff

Deadline For Physician Extender Workshop Abstracts This Week

The Committee on Practice Advancement is once again proud to support the Athletic Trainer as Physician Extender Workshops as part of the NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. This event will be held on Tuesday, June 23. In an effort to encourage the continued growth and usefulness of this workshop for athletic trainers across this setting, the event organizers are currently calling for abstracts from potential speakers to present on relevant topics at this year's workshops.
February 3, 2015 by NATA Staff

Examining Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia

When we hear about catastrophic injury and death amongst athletes, we typically think about concussion1, cardiac arrest2 and exertional heatstroke3.  Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) is rarely mentioned alongside the “big three”, despite its insidious extension into more diverse sporting events beyond the ultramarathon, where it was first described three decades ago4.   The recent and tragic deaths of two otherwise healthy 17-year old high school football players from hyponatremic encephalopathy5,6, underscores the need for more education towards translating evidenced-b

February 2, 2015 by NATA Staff

How Do We Choose Our Convention City?

NATA members often ask us how we select our convention city each year. It’s a complicated process that takes into account many factors. NATA’s Director of Meeting Management Lori Marker took the time at our recent Joint Committee Meeting to explain the process to attendees. Her presentation received such great feedback that we thought we would summarize it here on the blog for those unable to attend. You have questions, we have answers!
 

January 30, 2015 by NATA Staff

ATs in the News

Although we are still working to educate the public about the value and contributions of athletic trainers, it’s always exciting to see the news media present stories that highlight the lives and accomplishments of ATs. Recently, we have come across several stories that have done just that. Since you might not have seen them already, we wanted to collect them here so you might have a chance to read them too. We often post articles we come across on our Twitter feed, in addition to important news and updates from NATA.

January 22, 2015 by NATA Staff

Peyton Manning and the Fog of Injury Terminology

Was it a strain? A tear? In his latest column, John Doherty looks at the injury Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning suffered and the lack of clarity when it came to identifying it.
 
Against the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 14, Manning supposedly strained his right quadriceps. In the aftermath of the loss to the Colts, though, other stories started seeping out.