Research Awards/Lecture Exchange Program
– The 2010 Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training
Research was awarded to Thomas Weidner, PhD, ATC. Erik
Wikstrom, PhD, ATC, was the recipient of the Doctoral
Dissertation Award, presented in honor of David H. Perrin,
PhD, ATC. The New Investigator Award was not given for
2010. These distinguished researchers will receive their
awards and present lectures at the NATA Annual Meeting in
Philadelphia. Agreements remain in place for continuing a
lecture exchange program with ACSM, AMSSM and AOSSM.
Representatives of these associations will present their
research findings during the NATA Annual Meeting and
Clinical Symposia.
Funded Research Presentations
– Another large group of applications for research grants
has been received this year. Fourteen (14) of the
Foundation’s grant recipients are scheduled to present their
research findings at the 2010 NATA Annual Meeting. These
developments clearly indicate an increasing interest and
participation in meaningful research relative to the
athletic training profession. The Foundation board
authorized the inclusion of overhead costs (up to 15%) in
grant application budgets, beginning in 2005. This expanded
appeal has encouraged even more applicants. The Foundation
has awarded a total of $2,889,324 in research grants. This
is a significant accomplishment in the relatively short
period of existence of the Foundation.
Research Results
– Eighty (80) Grant Information Summaries are now available.
Each GIS provides summarized results of a research project
the Foundation has funded. The plan is to continue our
efforts to print several new summaries prior to each NATA
Annual Meeting. We have three new summaries this year,
which will be distributed from the Foundation booth and at
all Free Communications sessions. All completed summaries
are free to the membership upon request, and are included in
materials distributed at all NATA District Meetings. They
are also available on the Foundation website. We feel this
program provides a more widespread understanding among NATA
members regarding the importance of funded research to the
athletic training profession and its continued viability.
Free Communications Program
– The Foundation received 417 abstracts for 2010. Once
again, this is another indication of continued widespread
interest and participation in research within the
profession, in spite of the $25.00 submission fee.
Recognition of outstanding student presentations is
accomplished through oral presentations as well as poster
presentations. Presenters are judged in their peer groups
as doctoral, master’s or undergraduate students. The
judging will be completed and the 2010 awards will be
presented Wednesday afternoon (June 23) during the
Distinguished Scholar Presentations Session.
Scholarships
– This program continues to be a terrific success. Fifty
seven (57) $2,300 scholarships will be presented to
recipients at the NATA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Scholarship Endowment Funds
– New partial and full endowment options were offered to all
of our sponsors beginning in 2009. We were extremely
encouraged that numerous entities have made a commitment to
endow their scholarship sponsorships. The earnings from
these funds will enable us to fund these scholarship awards
in perpetuity. This is certainly a source of pride for our
board and committee members. It has also fostered a
continuing energetic effort to endow as many Foundation
programs and activities as possible.
Building Blocks for Clinical Practice
– On April 15 we launched a new program – Building Blocks
for Clinical Practice. The goal is to provide resource
materials for athletic trainers to use in daily practice.
The first issue covers fungal infections. We plan to
publish one every other month with a different topic covered
each issue. This information will be available on the
Foundation website.
Annual Fund
– We are extremely grateful for the support provided by
instituting dedicated dues to benefit the Foundation. Six
of ten NATA districts have now formally provided for
automatic partial distribution of dues income directly to
the Foundation. These actions clearly demonstrate
widespread support of the Foundation and its programs. A
primary emphasis will be to continue to educate the
membership regarding the benefits of their Foundation
individually, and to the athletic training profession in
general. We project that continued energetic involvement by
our state and district representatives will increase member
giving each year.
Sponsorships –
Sponsorship of Foundation programs is an important aspect of
our overall annual campaign. As you know, we created a
Foundation sponsorship program titled the “Corporate
Champion Program.” Foundation and NATA staff are working
together closely to make sure efforts don’t overlap. We
feel that our coordinated effort to offer opportunities and
associated benefits to potential sponsors is a very
effective approach. Foundation leadership is especially
appreciative of this very productive team approach.
State Athletic Training Organization Fundraising Campaign
– Another new fundraising effort for 2010 is our State
Athletic Training Organization Fundraising Campaign. Each
year we have several states that contribute. This year, our
district chairs implemented this plan to increase giving
from the state organizations. To date we have more than
$9000 in pledges – and we are still waiting for commitments
from more than half of the state organizations.
NATA Night with the Philadelphia Phillies
– As you know, professional baseball has always been an
attractive event for NATA members. We purchased 1500
tickets to the Phillies vs. Cleveland Indians game on
Tuesday, June 22, and those tickets sold out quickly. We
are also working with the Philadelphia Host City Committee
in planning the dinner since it coincides with the baseball
game. It should be a great evening.
NATA Foundation Fun Run
– Efforts are under way to continue to enhance the event’s
popularity and increase member participation. This year we
organized a work group to determine how to increase
awareness and attendance. The group first recommended we
change the name to the “Convention Shuffle,” which ties the
event more closely with the Annual Meeting. We also feel it
encourages participation among our walkers.
Capital Campaign
– As you all know the Capital Campaign ended last year, but
work on our endowment program continues. We recently hired
Heather Franklin to manage our development efforts. We are
excited that these funds are continuing to grow. The NATA
Foundation is most grateful for the continuing support so
strongly demonstrated by each member of the NATA Board of
Directors. We are proud to be a part of the collective
effort to insure that the future of the athletic training
profession is long and productive.
Web Site
– We are excited to announce that we have overhauled the
Foundation website. The URL is
www.natafoundation.org
Please take a look at your convenience.
Outcomes Research
– We want to thank the NATA Board of Directors for
completing funding of the $1 million grant for outcomes
research. We plan to have a meeting during the Annual
Meeting to discuss research that can be funded with this
grant
Financial Support –
The Foundation leadership, as
well as the thousands of Foundation program supporters and
participants, remains most grateful for the support
demonstrated in so many ways by the NATA Board of Directors.
We are pleased to return the favor through our own funding
commitments in support of NATA activities. We look forward
to future opportunities for progress through our joint
efforts.
