The Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research, the New Investigator Award and the The David H. Perrin Doctoral Dissertation Award are presented annually to deserving researchers among the NATA membership.
Research Awards Eligibility Criteria.

2020 NATA Foundation Research Awards Update:
Please see the linked document for an update from the Research Committee regarding the 2021 NATA Foundation Research Awards: Research Awards Update

Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research

The NATA Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research recognizes an established researcher who has sustained a prolific body of work that has contributed to research in the field of athletic training and health care.

2020 Award Recipient: Phillip Gribble, PhD, ATC, FNATA

Phillip Gribble, Ph.D., ATC, FNATA, is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Kentucky. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his doctoral training at the Pennsylvania State University. His research interests have focused on understanding the neuromuscular consequences of lower extremity injuries and developing intervention strategies to alleviate the health care burden from these injuries. Dr. Gribble has established an international reputation as an expert in the area of ankle instability and served as the Co-Director of the International Ankle Consortium for 7 years. In his career, Dr. Gribble has over 125 published and/or in-press peer-reviewed manuscripts in scientific journals, and has presented over 250 abstracts at international, national and regional scientific meetings. He has expertise in neuromuscular control laboratory measures, including postural control, motion analysis, strength, and corticospinal excitability; as well as clinical research outcomes to improve injury prediction and prevention. He has received funding through agencies and foundations including the Department of Defense, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

New Investigator Award

The New Investigator Award recognizes a researcher who is likely to continue to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge in athletic training and health care.

2020 Award Recipient: Dustin Grooms, PhD, ATC, CSCS

Dustin Grooms, PhD, ATC, CSCS, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Athletic Training in the School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness at Ohio University. Dr. Grooms received his doctorate from the Ohio State University in health and rehabilitation sciences, with a focus on neuroscience and biomechanics. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, Dr. Grooms was an athletic trainer, strength coach and instructor at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati Ohio. Before that he completed a master’s degree from the University of Virginia in kinesiology, an internship with Cincinnati Bengals, and bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University in Athletic Training.  His current main research interest is how the brain and movement mechanics change after musculoskeletal injury and therapy. 

The David H. Perrin Doctoral Dissertation Award

The David H. Perrin Doctoral Dissertation Award recognizes outstanding doctoral student research in athletic training and health care.

2020 Award Recipient: Breton Asken, PhD, ATC

Breton Asken, PhD, ATC, is a neuropsychology fellow at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in the Department of Neurology. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2013 with bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Exercise & Sport Science – Athletic Training. He then completed his PhD degree in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology) at the University of Florida in 2019, which included a clinical internship at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program.

Breton’s research interests include studying associations between repetitive head impact exposure and risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, like chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Ongoing projects focus on integrating advanced biomarkers of brain injury and neurodegenerative disease with novel approaches to clinical neuropsychological evaluations. Long-term research goals involve improving detection and differentiation of neurodegenerative diseases through fluid biomarker panels and refining classification approaches to associated clinical syndromes.

The NATA Foundation Volunteer of the Year was presented from 1998 to 2008 to honor that individual who made significant contributions to the NATA Foundation. In 2009, this award was eliminated and replaced with three awards: the Lifetime Contribution Award, the New Initiative Award and the Volunteer Service Award. In addition, in 2012, the NATA Foundation’s President’s Award was created, allowing the President of the Board of Directors to annually recognize those representative of outstanding commitment, dedication and loyalty to the NATA Foundation, its volunteers and its donors.

On November 3, 2019, the athletic training profession lost one of it’s most loyal champions and advocates, Rachael Oats.  Rachael’s entire professional career was dedicated to advancing the athletic training profession, and included serving as the Director of the NATA Research & Education Foundation.  Rachael’s leadership, commitment, selflessness and friendship will be forever remembered and missed by all that knew her.  December, 2019, the NATA Foundation Board of Directors unanimously supported the decision to honor Rachael Oats’ legacy by renaming the President’s Award to the Rachael Oats Leadership Award.  This award allows the President of the NATA Research & Education Foundation to annually recognize those representative of Rachael’s exemplary characteristics of outstanding leadership, selflessness, commitment, and loyalty to the NATA Foundation, its volunteers and its donors.

Volunteer Service Award
2021 Award Recipient:

Alison Snyder Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA
Recognized for her exemplary volunteer service advancing
the NATA Research & Education Foundation.
 

New Initiative Award
2021 Award Recipients:

Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, FNATA
Randy Cohen, ATC, DPT
Chuck Kimmel, AT Retired
Recognized for their commitment to the successful and expedient establishment of
The Rachael Oats Leadership Scholarship Endowment.

The Rachael Oats Leadership Award
2021 Award Recipient:

The Strategic Alliance AT Research Agenda Task Force
Recognized for their commitment to advancing the AT profession
through the identification of research priorities,
and facilitating the communication between AT researchers and clinicians
while ultimately improving patient care.

NATA Foundation Task Force Representatives:
Jennifer Earl-Boehm, PhD, ATC, FNATA
Tracey Covassin, PhD, ATC, FNATA
R.T. Floyd, EdD, ATC, CSCS
Alison Snyder Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA
Stacy Walker, PhD, ATC, FNATA

BOC Task Force Representatives:
Kelvin Phan, MSEd, ATC, PES
Esther Nolton , PhD, ATC

CAATE Task Force Representative:
Lindsey Eberman, PhD, ATC

NATA Task Force Representative:
Leigh Weiss, DPT, MS, ATC