UCF Athletic Training Program

Iota Tau Alpha, the AT Honor Society, joined the first year cohort in Dr. Schelly's class to announce the induction of 10 new members. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in order to be considered for admittance. Thank you to Justin Russell and Haylee Hollis for representing ITA and announcing the inductees.

Congratulations to Karah Touchstone, Wiston Smith, Abigail Sarmiento, Angelina Gomez, Breanna Frankos, Jared Clark, Mia Bulso, Adriana Bravo, Taylor Artz, and Deborah Araujo Messor!

We were thrilled to host Judo Therapy students from Keishin Gakuen in Tokyo, Japan this week! They dove into a 3-day athletic training workshop, mastering Stop the Bleed, CPR, and spine injury management. Huge thanks to Dr. Carlos J. Gual and our amazing MAT students for leading the way!

Why haven't you stopped by the Health Sciences 1 lobby to visit the CHPS student Resource Fair? You got Dr. Plant in trouble! It's happening until 2 pm, today, Wednesday, February 26.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Colby Mangum in the School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences on her award from the UCF 2024-2025 Seed Funding Program. Mangum's project was on of 21 projects that were selected, across the entire university, to receive funding! ✨

The project will explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve treatment for those suffering from lower back pain. Using AI as a tool could help clinicians evaluate a larger number of cases to treat as many patients as possible and assist with return-to-work and return-to-physical activity decisions. The funding aims "to establish reliability and agreement between manual and automated AI measurement of core muscle ultrasound images in individuals with and without a history of low back pain." Mangum will collaborate on the project with Associate Professor Laura Brattain in the UCF College of Medicine.

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Congratulations to Dr. Colby Mangum🥰on her award from the UCF 24-25 Seed Funding Program. The project, titled "Automation of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (AUTONOMOUS) Imaging in Patients with and without a History of Low Back Pain," is one of only 21 projects that were selected across the entire university. Dr. Mangum will be partnering with Dr. Laura Brattain of COM to explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve treatment for those suffering from lower back pain.

This weekend, UCF MAT students joined Kristen Couper Schellhase and UCF Physical Therapy to support the UCF ROTC Iron Knights Challenge!

MAT students and .schellhase joined to support the UCF ROTC Iron Knights Challenge! What a great time and chance for our students to experience real world athletic training challenges!

Last week, the Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science held its fifth annual conference, “From Molecules to Movement,” bringing together over 200 students, clinicians, researchers and practitioners from around the world to learn about cutting-edge innovations in athletic training, kinesiology and physical therapy. 🧬 The event began with “The IEPRS Lab Crawl: Learn in our Labs!” which showcased the School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science’s labs and gave attendees insight into how its research fellows collect data.

5th Annual IEPRS Conference Returns to Move Molecules with Students and Experts Worldwide The School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences held its 5th annual Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science conference on Feb.

We had a great time meeting with fellow practitioners and students at the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association Conference in Atlanta, GA this weekend. Dr. Carlos Gual was a featured presenter!

You never know who you might run into at the 50th Southeast Athletic Trainers Association Conference! Here are three generations of graduates from the UCF AT program. From left to right: Joemaris Torres-Gonzalez (c/o 2024), Johnny Morales (c/o 2025), Marissa Mendez (c/o 2026). Reunited and it feels so good!

It's not just lectures and tests! Here students are using high fidelity manikins to train skills in emergency respiration situations. In the first picture the students are using multiperson CPR and in the second they are practicing lung auscultation.

We’re only 1️⃣ week away from the 5th annual UCF Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science conference! 🏋️‍♂️ We'd like to take a moment to recognize our incredible presenting sponsor, the De Luca Foundation! Thanks to their incredible support, we can bring together students, researchers, clinicians, and practitioners from various disciplines to collaborate, share ideas, and drive progress toward improving health outcomes for all.

The final day to register for this two-day conference is Monday, February 3, so reserve your spot today to learn from top experts in athletic training, kinesiology and physical therapy!

Visit healthprofessions.ucf.edu/skrs/institute/conference to register.

LAST CALL! We are only a few days out from the UCF IEPRS 5th annual conference! 🏋️‍♂️ The final day to register is February 3, so reserve your spot today to learn from top experts in athletic training, kinesiology and physical therapy!

Register today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucf-ieprs-5th-annual-conference-tickets-1079238424179?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The 2025 UCF Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science Annual Conference is right around the corner, and we'd like to take a moment to recognize our sponsors! Thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors, InBody and Jali Medical, we can bring together students, researchers, clinicians, and practitioners from various disciplines to collaborate, share ideas, and drive progress toward improving health outcomes for all.

Remember that today is the last day to take advantage of our early bird special! Register by 11:59 p.m. tonight to secure your discounted rate and reserve your spot. Visit healthprofessions.ucf.edu/skrs/institute/conference to register.

Interested in exploring topics like inflammation in muscle health, skeletal muscle metabolism, and cutting-edge rehabilitation techniques? Join us at the 2025 IEPRS Conference and learn from top experts in the kinesiology, physical therapy, and athletic training field! Early bird discounts available until Jan. 24!

Secure your spot today at https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/skrs/institute/conference/.

Sign up for the IEPRS conference and meet our honorary alumni speaker, Adam Jajtner, ‘16.

As an associate professor and undergraduate program coordinator in the Exercise Science and Physiology program at Kent State University, Jajtner's research focuses on the inflammatory response to exercise and the immune system's role in recovery.

Jajtner will present “Recovery Techniques Following Resistance Exercise: An Inflammatory Perspective.” He'll explore how recovery techniques may alter the natural inflammatory response and impact muscle regeneration.

Don't miss this insightful lecture—reserve your spot today (and get an early bird discount by Jan. 24) at https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/skrs/institute/conference/.

REGISTER NOW for the IEPRS conference to hear from our keynote speaker, Marcas Bamman.

As a senior research scientist and director of healthspan, resilience, and performance research at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Marcas Bamman leads groundbreaking research that spans from chronic disease to elite performance.

Bamman will present "Multidimensional Interrogation of Inter-individual Exercise Response Heterogeneity (IRH)"—focusing on how understanding individual differences in exercise response can optimize training and treatment outcomes.

Don't miss your chance to learn from a leader in the field—reserve your spot today (and get an early bird discount by Jan. 24) at https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/skrs/institute/conference/.