Dr. Eric Fuchs, chair of the department of exercise and sports science at Eastern Kentucky University, is one of five athletic trainers in the United States named a 2022 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), an organization representing more than 40,000 members of the athletic training profession. 

Board certified as an athletic trainer since 1992, Fuchs has had the opportunity to serve numerous athletes, including Olympians and Paralympians. He currently serves as the director of sports medicine services for the Fiesta Classic and Volleyball Festival, both held in Arizona. 

He has been at EKU since 2005 and was instrumental in creating the master’s program in athletic training and ensuring its accreditation. He has served as clinical coordinator, program director, and now chair of the department. 

Additionally, Fuchs has served as president of the Kentucky Athletic Trainers’ Society, and on the executive board of the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA). He has presented research on a wide variety of topics, consulted with a variety of organizations and reviewed other athletic training programs for accreditation purposes.

One of his most enjoyed accomplishments from his professional service includes being the founding chair of both the NATA’s Research Education Foundation Quiz Bowl and SEATA Student Quiz Bowl committees.