NATA Now

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NATA Now is highlighting some of our Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders at the state, district and national levels.

Seeing an athletic trainer dedicated to serving student athletes at his high school inspired NATA Research & Education Foundation Recruitment Committee member Samuel Lee, EdD, ATC, to pursue the profession.

The NATA Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of member recognition, celebrating athletic trainers who have fostered the profession and exemplified what it means to live a life of service. More than a ring and an iconic green jacket, the NATA Hall of Fame honors those who have dedicated countless hours sharpening their skills, mentoring the next generation of ATs and leaving a lasting impact on the athletic training profession.

The NATA Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of member recognition, celebrating athletic trainers who have fostered the profession and exemplified what it means to live a life of service. More than a ring and an iconic green jacket, the NATA Hall of Fame honors those who have dedicated countless hours sharpening their skills, mentoring the next generation of ATs and leaving a lasting impact on the athletic training profession.

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NATA Now is highlighting some of our Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders at the state, district and national levels.

Kimi Lew, MHA, ATC, CEAS, was raised by health care providers – her dad, a pharmacist, and her mom, a respiratory therapist.

As a child, Lew accompanied her mom to her workplace, the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, for a Take Your Daughter to Work Day program.

The NATA Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of member recognition, celebrating athletic trainers who have fostered the profession and exemplified what it means to live a life of service. More than a ring and an iconic green jacket, the NATA Hall of Fame honors those who have dedicated countless hours sharpening their skills, mentoring the next generation of ATs and leaving a lasting impact on the athletic training profession.

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NATA Now is highlighting some of our Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders at the state, district and national levels.

Injuries haven’t precluded Alika Asing, ATC, CSCS, from becoming the athletic training leader he is now.

Asing said he dealt with injuries in his youth, but since encountering athletic training in college, his passion for treating others also experiencing pain has propelled him in his career.

Editor’s note: In April 2016, NATA Now ran a column by Timothy Neal, LLMSW, ATC, CCISM, titled “Burnout in Athletes,” kicking off a series of mental health-related columns that were posted throughout May in honor of Mental Health Month. To this day, it remains the most visited post on NATA Now and is one of the top 25 pages viewed on www.nata.org.

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NATA Now is highlighting some of our Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders at the state, district and national levels.

While getting treatment for her college sports injury, Zeny Eakins, ATC, CAA, developed an undying passion for athletic training.

“I was in the athletic training [facility] so much that I was able to observe the daily interactions the athletic trainer had with a variety of athletes,” Eakins said.

As your source of lifelong learning, NATA EducATe provides users with an extensive educational library, a customizable experience, the ability to interact with peers and more.

New courses are constantly being added to the platform to ensure you have the knowledge needed to stay up to date in your practice – as well as earn CEUs.

Enhanced access to the entire NATA EducATe On-Demand Course Catalog is also now available to NATA members, so take advantage of these courses.

UPDATE (July 2, 2025):  Cognito Systems, a contractor for the Army’s H2F program, has shared the following information with us: “We received written confirmation yesterday that the Army has reversed its previous decision and will be retaining athletic trainers under the H2F program. This means the program will no longer end on Sept. 18, 2025.