Dr. Johna Register-Mihalik is the Associate Chair for Curricula and Faculty Affairs and an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a core faculty member in the Matthew Gfeller Center and serves as the Co-Director of the STAR Heel Performance Laboratory and Traumatic Division Director for the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. 

Her primary research work is based in her background as an Athletic Trainer and centers on novel behavioral and clinical interventions to improve concussion care across the lifespan. She has been the recipient of several research grants to pursue this line of work including funding from the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control, and several foundations. Dr. Register-Mihalik is also an active member of many professional organizations including the National Athletic Trainers' Association and the American College of Sports Medicine and is a Fellow in both organizations. 

As the Concussion Clinic Coordinator at Mt. Olive Family Medicine Center, I oversee the delivery of comprehensive concussion services to the eastern North Carolina community. With over 20 years of experience as a Certified Athletic Trainer and an ImPACT Trained Athletic Trainer, I am passionate about providing evidence-based assessment, management, and education for concussion patients and their families.

In addition to my clinical role, I am also an Adjunct Professor at The University of Georgia, where I teach a graduate course in Healthcare Management for Athletic Training students. I hold a PhD in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Mississippi, and am working toward a Certificate in Biomedical Neuroscience from the University of Florida. I am also the owner and clinician of NeuroActive, LLC, a concussion assessment and education company. I have received multiple honors and awards for my research and service in the field of concussion and athletic training, and I am committed to advancing the knowledge and practice of concussion care in rural settings.

Dr. Allison Bickett received her PhD in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Master’s Degree in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. She presently serves as the Director of Behavioral Medicine Education in the Department of Family Medicine. She is responsible for Behavioral Health Integration programs at the three Family Medicine residency sites; supporting patient care in the inpatient and outpatient setting, as well as Diabetes and HIV clinics. Allison assists in developing and teaching the Longitudinal Behavioral Medicine curriculum; supporting and evaluating residents in the advancement of their mental health knowledge and clinical interviewing skills. Core facets of the Behavioral Medicine curriculum include motivational interviewing, active listening and the outpatient management of mental health issues commonly seen in primary care. Allison’s research interests include the relationship between mental health and chronic illness, behavioral health integration and mental health screening in the community.

Allison serves on several committees and taskforces to address physician well-being, and one of her passions in this area is the intersection of medicine and the humanities. She co-facilitates the Art of Medicine program, which is a unique collaboration between Atrium Health and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, which allows physicians and APPs to explore important works of art and process the challenging emotions that arise from the practice of medicine.

Robert G. Watkins, IV, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon. He specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, artificial disc replacement, and computer-guided spine surgery. He is the Director of the Marina Spine Center, past Chief of Staff of Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, and current spine surgeon for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rams, Lakers, Clippers, and Kings. He regularly advises the Los Angeles Chargers, Angels, Ducks, Galaxy, and LAFC. He also provides consultation for many professional teams: 15 NFL, 5 MLB, 4 NBA, and 4 NHL. He and his father created of the Back Doctor App, which is a comprehensive back and neck rehabilitation program. Drs. Watkins have given away this program to help hundreds of thousands of people suffering with back and neck pain. He is the author of the two largest publications on surgery in professional athletes for cervical and lumbar spine, as well as, many chapters on spinal injuries in athletes. He is regularly invited to be faculty for medical courses and a guest lecturer on spinal injuries in athletes. Dr Watkins, IV, has been named Top Doctor for the past ten years and to Who’s Who in America list.

BJ Anderson is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles with a variety of activities. He currently serves as Sports Medicine Director at Augsburg University and is a past Team Physician for the Gopher wrestling and football teams. He also serves on the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the MSHSL and is a medical advisor for MN/USA wrestling.

BJ enjoys spending time with his family, rock climbing, skiing, theater, and his three dogs. He has performed multiple clinical studies on antiviral medication in controlling and preventing outbreaks of Herpes Gladiatorum in wrestlers. BJ has also written numerous papers on using valacyclovir for Herpes Gladiatorum, which presently serves as the landmark guideline for treating this infectious agent in high school, collegiate, and Olympic athletes.

Dr. Nailah Coleman, MD, FAAP, FACSM, FAMSSM is a Primary Care Sports Medicine Attending at Children’s National Hospital. She completed her undergraduate studies at Emory University, receiving a BS in Biology with a double major in International Studies and a minor in Italian. Upon receipt of a second Emory full tuition scholarship for medical school, she remained at Emory University and received her medical degree in 2000. She completed a pediatric residency program at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC in 2003. Following residency, Dr. Coleman remained at Children’s National as a Physician Analyst with their Information Technology Department. She also worked as a Hospitalist for incoming patients, a practicing physician in the Children’s Health Clinic, and as an on-call neonatal pediatrician at The George Washington University Medical Center. 

As a pediatrician working in four different hospital environments, Dr. Coleman had the opportunity to see children at different life stages and assess their growth and wellness. She observed a need to improve the physical health of the athletic and the non-athletic student during their various developmental stages. She believes that athletic performance, nutrition, and physical health plans should be developed and tracked for all students, starting in primary school and continuing through college. Sports medicine should include the athlete and the non-athlete. With these ideas in mind, Dr. Coleman moved to Georgia and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital to complete a one-year fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine, before returning to Children’s in her current capacity, where she now works as a general pediatrician and a sports medicine specialist. 

Dr. Coleman is a board-certified pediatrician, sports medicine physician, and clinical informatics physician, licensed in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia, and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine, and the American Medical Informatics Association. She also provides medical coverage and sports medicine information to local schools and various athletic events in the DC area.

Dr. Nicole Du, MD is a fourth-year pediatrics resident at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Du is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana and she completed her undergraduate studies at Georgtown University, receiving a BS in Biology of Global Health and a minor in Economics. She remained at Georgetown for medical school and received her medical degree in 2020. She has a special interest in pediatric gastroenterology and is pursuing a medical subspecialty in the field.

Dr. Jimmy Onate joined The Ohio State University in January 2010. He earned his PhD in Human Movement Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002 with a focus in biomechanics and motor learning. He has been an academic research faculty member interested in all aspects of human movement relative to injury prevention and performance optimization since 2003. He currently serves as the director of the PhD program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, chair of graduate studies in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, a co-director of Ohio State's Sports Medicine's Movement Analysis & Performance (MAP) research program, a research scholar for the National Federation of High School Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, and a research consultant to Naval Special Warfare groups based in Virginia Beach, VA.His main research focus lies in developing functional motion assessment research that bridges the gap across research to clinical systems to allow for evidence-based outcomes for aiding individuals to sustain optimal health and performance throughout their careers and lives.

Research Focus

The specific aims of his research are focused to answer specific issues related to lower extremity injury, in particular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, pre-participation examinations and human performance optimization. Funding for his work has been provided through the National Institutes of Health, Office of Naval Research, United States Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare Development Group for evaluating lower extremity injury in collegiate athletes and the development of physical performance models in military soldiers. The interaction of these two areas initially seems distinct, yet his approach to the questions lies along the fundamental concept of creating a parsimonious screening approach for evaluating injury risk and performance enhancement for physically active individuals, utilizing the movement assessment information to develop an instructional feedback approach to enhance performance and prevent injury and to integrate these two approaches into an implementable scientific model-driven approach to aid physically active individuals throughout their careers and lifetime to optimize health and performance. Dr. Onate acts as a key component in building the bridges between exercise and performance areas relative to all aspects of personalized health care in the hopes of developing proactive integrative approaches for wellness-based medicine aimed at optimizing lifelong health and performance.

Dr. Steve Jordan is a board certified, fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon. Dr. Jordan earned his Medical Degree from Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Jordan specializes in sports medicine; however, he takes a special interest in shoulder injuries, throwing injuries, ACL reconstruction, and Tommy John reconstruction. Dr. Jordan is the Team Physician for both Washington High School and Chipola College.

Darin A. Padua is the Associate Provost for Academic Operations of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an academic leader, he works to listen, collaborate, and empower others to work as a team towards our shared mission, vision, and priorities.

The Joseph Curtis Sloane Distinguished Professor of Exercise and Sport Science, Padua has been a member of UNC’s faculty since 2001. He teaches courses in biomechanics, human anatomy, and kinesiology with a focus on injury risk mitigation and optimizing human performance. Throughout his career, Padua has mentored fellow faculty, along with hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students. He served as chair in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science from 2013 to 2023.

With more than 25 years of experience, Padua is an internationally recognized scholar and is the Co-Director of the Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention (MOTION) Science Institute. His research revolves around prevention of musculoskeletal injuries, such as ACL rupture, by studying the role of movement quality and biomechanics as injury risk factors and intervention targets. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and his work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. He

He received the Young Investigator Award by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (2006) and was later awarded the O’Donoghue Sports Injury Research Award for the most outstanding sport injury related research paper by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (2008). He attained Fellow status in the National Academy of Kinesiology, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and received the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. His career research achievements were recognized by the by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association with receipt of the Medal for Distinguished Research (2017).

Padua earned a B.S. in athletic training from San Diego State University, M.A. in exercise and sport science/athletic training from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and PhD in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. Born and raised in Visalia, California, he lives with his wife Jody and three daughters in Durham, NC.

Associate Dean Geisler is a native of Lakeville, MA and current resident of Boston, MA. A certified athletic trainer since 1987 with over 15 years of varied clinical practice and 23 years' experience directing athletic training education programs at Georgia Southern University and Ithaca College. He is deeply interested in the development and assessment of the medico-clinical thinking processes of novice and experienced clinicians, the development of adaptive expertise in clinicians, progressive curriculum design, capability-based education, and meaningful programmatic assessment. He has over 170 national and international presentations and publications on clinical and educational based subjects in athletic training and health professions education to his credit. He is a member of the European Board of Medical Assessors, and past member of the Association of Medical Education, Europe.

As a scholar, he is the recipient of two manuscript awards from the Journal of Athletic Training and the Athletic Training Education Journal. For his many professional contributions, he has been the recipient of the NATA Athletic Training Service Award and NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. As an educator, he was awarded the NATA Executive Council on Education's Sayers "Bud" Miller Distinguished Educator Award in 2021 and has received two Dean's Awards for Excellence & Innovation in Teaching, a Dean's Excellence Award for Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching and Learning, and the all college Faculty Excellence Award, all from Ithaca College.

He admits to being an enthusiastic but slow road cyclist, an amateur shutterbug of nature and wonder, an aspiring wine snob and amateur foodie, and an unabashed promoter of equal rights, freedom, justice, and authentic democracy for all living beings. Susan, his life partner and wife of 34 years and he are fulfilled parents of two amazing young men – Nicholas, a writer living in Los Angeles, CA and Benjamin, a photographer and artist living in Brooklyn, NY.

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Master Preceptor Level Two - Module Five

Dr. Patrick McKeon is a BOC certified athletic trainer who joined the Ithaca College Athletic Training faculty in 2013. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from Springfield College in Springfield, MA;  his Master of Science degree in Sports Health Care from the Arizona School of Health Sciences in Phoenix, AZ (now in Mesa, AZ); and his PhD in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He has held several positions as a clinical athletic trainer including Pearl River High School, Canisius College, and Marist College in New York, as well as Phoenix College and Brophy College Preparatory in Arizona.

SCHOLARLY/RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. McKeon’s research focuses on functional alterations associated with lower extremity joint injury. He incorporates patient-, clinician-, and laboratory-oriented outcomes to evaluate these alterations due to injury. Dr. McKeon also seeks to develop a greater understanding of the restoration of function associated with rehabilitation.  He aims to provide insight into effective clinical interventions for the sports medicine clinician to improve functional outcomes and enhance prevention strategies for patients who suffer lower extremity injury.  

EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS

Dr. McKeon's educational focus centers on evidence-based practice concepts and clinical reasoning theory. Within the courses he teaches, Dr. McKeon strives to instill a strong foundation in the integration of internal and external evidence for enhancing decisions related to the recognition, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries/illnesses associated with athletic training clinical practice.

PERSONAL

Dr. McKeon enjoys spending his free time with his family and friends seeking out great life experiences. His wife, Dr. Jennifer McKeon is the IC Athletic Training Program Director and a faculty member in the Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training. They have two children (Bobby and Mallory) who are also proud to be Bombers!

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Master Preceptor Level Two - Module Five