ATSU faculty member earns national recognition for research on equitable athletic trainer access

ATSU faculty member earns national recognition for research on equitable athletic trainer access

A research team that includes Kenny Lam, ScD, ATC, FNATA, a professor with A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences' (ATSU-ASHS) Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Journal of Athletic Training's Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Practice Advancement.

The award-winning study investigated how quickly secondary school athletes receive an evaluation from an athletic trainer following an acute injury. Drawing on data from ATSU's Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network, the team found that while nearly half of injured athletes were seen on the same day, meaningful disparities existed based on athlete sex, sport level, and the setting where the injury occurred.

The research was featured at a national NATA press conference on youth sport safety in January 2025. Dr. Lam and his co-authors, Madison N. Renner, Emily C. Srygler, Stephanie N. Adler, Jennifer S. Chambers, and David R. Bell, will formally accept the award at the NATA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in June.

This recognition marks the fourth time Dr. Lam has been a named author on a Clint Thompson Award-winning manuscript, a distinction that speaks to his exceptional and sustained contributions to athletic training scholarship. Faculty in the Departments of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Athletic Training have now received this honor eight times dating back to 2008.