News & Awards Archive

The Athletic Training Education Program has been recommended for accreditation by the Joint Review Committee in Athletic Training.  The JRC has given their recommendation to the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training (CAATE).  Official accreditation will take place in April at the next CAATE meeting.  Students graduating in May and beyond will be graduating from an accredited program and will be eligible to take the BOC certification examination.

Dr. Ky Kugler, EdD, ATC has recently volunteered at the World Gymnastic Championships in Anaheim.  Dr. Kugler was an athletic trainer for the event and worked with several world class gymnasts as well as other medical professionals from the area.

Audra Astiasuain ('04) and Kristy Smith ('05)recently co-presented with Dr. Bennett at the California Association for Nurse Practitioners meeting in Monterey, CA.  The workshop geared for the experienced Nurse Practitioner offered a brief overview of anatomy, injury pathology, and examination techniques of common orthopedic injuries with a focus on knee, shoulder, and ankle assessment.” Specifically, Kristy and Audra worked in break out groups of 8 nurse practitioners and assisted in their skill development and answered their questions. 

Nicole Madonia ('04) and Audra Astiasuain ('04) were recently accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs at Chapman University and University of Southern California.  Nicole has chosen to pursue her Physical Therapy program at Chapman University, while Audra has chosen to pursue her degree at USC. 

Tricia Kasamatsu will be entering Chapman University's Master of Arts in Teaching program.  Tricia will be seeking a teaching credential in the science area.  Tricia will be graduating with a 3.8 overall GPA. 

Alexis Gabourel will also be entering Chapman's Masters of Arts in Teaching program and earning her teaching credential in the Health Sciences area. 

Not only has Nicole Madonia been an outstanding student in the Athletic Training program but she has been an outstanding player for our Women's Soccer team.  Nicole was recently named 1st Team All-West Player (the only non Division I player named) and 2nd Team All-America Player.  In addition, Nicole was named First Team Academic All-American with an overall 3.72 GPA. 

Great job Nicole!!

Our Athletic Training Student Society (ATSS) has recently elected new officers for the year.  Our new President is Kelsey Bains ('06), Vice-President is Leila Morinaga ('05), and Secretary/Treasurer is Josh Pendleton ('06).  The purpose of the ATSS is to raise awareness of Athletic Training on-campus and to provide community service opportunities for students within the major. 

Pictured is Kelsey Bains applying electrical muscle stimulation to an injured patient's ankle. 

Audra Astiasuain recently won a well-deserved NATA scholarship & Far West Athletic Trainers' Association scholarship. Audra traveled to the NATA Conference in Baltimore, MD to receive her award.  

(L to R): Bill Chambers (Former NATA president),
Audra Astiasuain, Ky Kugler

Dr. Jason Bennett has recently won the National Athletic Trainers' Association Educational Multimedia Award for his CD-ROM titled "Computer Simulation Test in Athletic Training" (CSTAT). His CSTAT exam is composed of a variety of simulations with interactive video and is designed to measure the critical thinking skills of athletic training students.

In addition, Dr. Bennett & Dr. Kugler have published the article "Assessment: Taking the 'Exam' out of Evaluation" in Athletic Therapy Today (2003).  The article summarizes alternative methods in assessing competence and psychomotor skill specifically using technology.  The article was co-wrote with Dr. Katie Walsh from Eastern Carolina University.