1. health and fitness
2. sports medicine

FALL 2014
DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPAEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE
ISSUE FOUR
Athletic Training
Newsletter
Director’s Message
day-to-day operations of our
program and we miss her dearly, but
wish her well in her new endeavor.
We were able to fill her
administrative position with Matt
Perret, one of our recent graduates,
Things have been very busy here
while he is getting his master’s
since our last newsletter. We
degree in our Post-Professional AT
successfully graduated 23 senior
Athletic Training students, and for the program. Matt is doing an
first time since I’ve been at USF, we outstanding job, and we look forward
had a 100% first time pass rate on the to two great years with him.
BOC examination. All 23 students
passed the exam on their first try. It The other big news we have to pass
along is that we have final approval
was extremely gratifying to see our
from the Board of Governors of the
graduates do so well. On the last
Florida State University System for
page of this newsletter, you can get
our new Master of Science in
an indication of what each of those
Athletic Training Professional
students is doing in their year
program. We will be admitting our
following graduation.
first cohort of graduate students in
the summer of 2015. Applications
We’ve also had some personnel
will be due by the end of March
changes. Ashley Ahearn, our
Administrative Assistant, left USF to 2015, so we are spending the bulk of
our time now getting the word out
become the CAATE Accreditation
Assistant. Ashley was integral to the and recruiting students. There has
ELCOME BACK!! We
hope you had a great summer
and are ready to get things geared up
again for a brand new academic year.
been quite a bit of interest in the
program, so we should do pretty well
attracting quality students. We have a
very exciting new curriculum, and
our opportunities for interprofessional
education continue to grow. If you
know anyone that may be interested,
please direct them to our website,
www.usfathletictraining.com, for
more information.
I wish you all the best in the
upcoming year. As always, if there is
ever anything we can do for you,
please don’t hesitate to ask. Also, if
you are ever in the area, please stop
by, we’d love
to see you. Go
Bulls!!
All the best,
Steve Zinder
CONGRATULATIONS Angela Moore and Steve Walz!!
Our own Miss Angela, Academic Services Administrator and AT Program Mom, and Steve Walz, Associate
Athletic Director/Director of Sports Medicine, received the USF Outstanding Staff Award this past spring. Each
year, the University of South Florida seeks to recognize employees who exemplify excellence through their daily
commitment to the university. Angela and Steve were joined by approximately 40 other individuals and teams to
receive their awards at a ceremony
hosted by President Judy Genshaft
on April 29th in the USF School of
Music Concert Hall. It was a great
event that recognized some
extremely valuable people. We
definitely appreciate all they do for
our program, and I know we
couldn’t even begin to do it without
them!!
Faculty and Staff
Steven Zinder, PhD, ATC
Director of Athletic Training
(813) 396-9464
[email protected]
Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC, CSCS
Program Director, Graduate
Athletic Training Program
(813) 396-9078
[email protected]
Barbara Morris, DHSc, ATC,
CSCS, ROT
Director, SMART Institute
(813) 396-9626
[email protected]
Gianluca Del Rossi, PhD, ATC
Associate Professor
(813) 396-9094
[email protected]
Amanda Tritsch, PhD, ATC, CSCS
Clinical Education Coordinator
(813) 396-9986
[email protected]
Matt Perret, ATC
AT Program Resident
(813) 396-9464
[email protected]
Angela Moore
Academic Services Administrator
(813) 974-2833
[email protected]
Staff Spotlight – Angela Moore
Most of you that know Angela understand what an
integral part of our Athletic Training program she
is. You probably have no idea, however, how
much Angela actually does, and the impact she
has, not only at USF, but also on a national level.
In light of her Outstanding Staff Award, this is a
good opportunity to showcase all that Angela
does.
As Academic Services Administrator for the professional (entry-level)
program, Angela is responsible for all academic advising, recruiting of
students, and direction of potential students through the application
process. As Program Coordinator for the on-line post-professional
program, Angela is responsible for collecting all the application materials,
and handling all the tuition waivers and stipend payments to the resident
and non-resident students in the graduate program
Angela’s contributions to the University extend far beyond USF’s Athletic
Training programs. She was the Chairperson for the Florida chapter of the
National Academic Advising Association (FLACADA) Drive-In
Conference for all Florida academic advisors. In that capacity, she
oversaw a planning committee of 20 people. The conference was held in
the first week of May here at USF with nearly 300 attendees. In addition,
she serves on the FLACADA Advisory board. The board’s charge is to
create bylaws and establish committees, ensure the continuation of annual
state drive-in conferences, and find ways of improving communication
across the state with respect to NACADA national, regional and state
goals, events, and outreach.
Angela participated in and led many committees during the creation of the
large USF Health initiative of Shared Student Services. She also plays a
significant national role with the Commission for Accreditation of Athletic
Training Education (CAATE). She is a member of CAATE’s ATCS Ad
Hoc Committee to help build and develop a standardized online
application system for accredited Athletic Training programs to use for
student applications, similar to those used by Physical Therapy (PTCAS)
and Physician’s Assistant (CASPA) programs.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the day-to-day duties Angela attends
to. We all know it internally, but it should be evident that Angela’s
contributions to our program are unmatched. We literally couldn’t do it
without her!
USF had another great
showing at the 65th
annual NATA meeting
in Indianapolis. Several students as well as faculty members had
presentations, as the Bulls were out in full force. If you weren’t able
to join us, we had a tremendous showing at our USF alumni
reception, where more than 70 alumni, family, and friends joined us
at Champps Americana for the festivities. It was a great night, as it’s
always great to get together with the Bulls family.
ATSA Awards Banquet
May 1, 2014
As usual, we culminated the year with the annual celebration at the ATSA Awards Banquet. It is always
a great event, and this year was no exception. It is a great opportunity for us to recognize our students
and preceptors for all the great things they do. Below is a list of all the awards and recipients at this
year’s banquet. Congratulations to all the award winners!!
Athletic Training Service Award
Larry Collins
Preceptor of the Year
Ashley Ahearn
Director’s Award and Scholar Award
Conner Tidmus
Student Service Award
Karly Holcombe
Student Leadership Award
Matt Perret
Outstanding Graduate Student
Khai Tran
Lisa Barth Memorial Award
Jynelle Jarvis
Green and Gold Award
Matt Perret
Resident of the Year
Khai Tran
2014 Scholarship Recipients
Kennedy Family Foundation Scholarship
Conner Tidmus
Matt Perret
Danielle Blanchard
Peyton McCoy
David “Doc” Leffers Scholarship
The Kennedy Family Foundation Scholarship is awarded
to Athletic Training Students who have demonstrated
leadership and community service initiatives and
accomplishments related to Athletic Training. The candidates
must also have benefitted the Athletic Training Program at
the University of South Florida and positively promoted the
profession of Athletic Training. Applicants are required to
have a minimum GPA of 3.2.
The David “Doc” Leffers Scholarship is awarded to a
rising senior Athletic Training Student who has demonstrated
the potential to become an outstanding athletic trainer.
Raphaella Petrosino
Isabella Abbasi
Congratulations Class of 2014!!
Front Row (L-R): Megan DelGaudio, Garth Reimann, Heather Vallan, Karly Holcombe, Shannon Greene, Christina Guida,
Alyssa Neri, Jynelle Jarvis, Joel Blanco, Danielle Blanchard, Krysthian Ramos;
Back Row (L-R): Karen Stuart, Aryiel Peitzer, Conner Tidmus, Tom Spock, Anna Ridder, Kathleen Duncanson, Taylor Creedon,
Matt Perret, Stephen Borchik, Yolanda McLoud; Bryce Lawson
What’s Next for the Class of 2014?
We have had a very successful year placing our recent graduates into grad school or
employment positions. The following is a list of the current positions for the entire
class of 2014:
Samantha Adamo
Intern, SMART Institute
Danielle Blanchard
Intern, SMART Institute
Joel Blanco
Athletic Trainer, FOI - Gaither High School
Stephen Borchik
Intern, SMART Institute
Taylor Creedon
Resident Athletic Trainer, SMART Institute
Megan DelGaudio
Graduate Assistant, California University of Pennsylvania
Kathleen Duncanson Graduate Assistant, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Shannon Greene
Graduate Assistant, Columbus State University
Christina Guida
Resident Athletic Trainer, SMART Institute
Karly Holcombe
Graduate Assistant, Georgia State University
Jynelle Jarvis
Graduate Assistant, North Carolina A&T State University
Bryce Lawson
Graduate Assistant, Lindenwood University
Yolanda McCloud
Interviewing for future positions
Alyssa Neri
University of South Florida - Physical Therapy Program
Aryiel Peitzer
Interviewing for future positions
Matthew Perret
AT Program Resident, University of South Florida
Krysthian Ramos
IMG Academy Intern
Garth Reimann
Intern, SMART Institute
Anna Ridder
Graduate Assistant, Newberry College
Thomas Spock
Graduate Assistant, California State University, Chico
Karen Stuart
Graduate Assistant, University of Kansas
Conner Tidmus
Graduate Assistant, University of Georgia
Heather Vallan
Graduate Assistant, McNeese State University
Congratulations to Doctors Nofsinger and
Leffers for being named as the team
orthopedic surgeons for the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers. They will be performing
double football duty covering both the
Bulls and the Bucs this season!!
BUCCANEERS MEDICAL STAFF*
Head Athletic Trainer..................................... Bobby Slater
Assistant Athletic Trainer.................................. John Ames
Assistant Athletic Trainer.............................. Scott DeGraff
Assistant Athletic Trainer/PT......................... Adrian Dixon
Team Sports Dietitian...................................... Kevin Luhrs
Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon....... Dr. Chuck Nofsinger
Head Team Physician-Primary Care… Dr. Arnold Ramirez
Team Physician Orthopedic Surgeon...... Dr. Dave Leffers
*reprinted from the 2014 Buccaneers Media Guide
We’d like to congratulate all of them and wish them the best in their
exciting new opportunities!!
Association Updates
Iota Tau Alpha
Hello! My name is Isabella Abbasi, the President of Iota Tau Alpha for the 2014-2015 school year. Iota Tau Alpha is ready to
kick off the year by spreading the word about athletic training and giving back to our community. This year, our major goal is to
provide at least one AED to an athletic facility in need (i.e. a park, school, etc.). We also plan to spend a lot of time working
community service events, such as a local marathons and races to gain experience in medical tents while giving back to the
community. Along with raising money for an AED, another main goal of Iota Tau Alpha this year is to raise awareness about
athletic training and explain to the community what we do and why we are important!
In order to reach our goals, we will be having at least one fundraiser a month so please stay tuned and help us spread the word
about those! We will also be participating in at least one community service event each month. We would like to involve the
faculty, our preceptors, and those at our clinical sites as much as we can this year. We also plan to induct a larger class, as we
would like to invite those in the graduate program to become members this year.
Iota Tau Alpha is ready for an exciting year! Go Bulls!!
Athletic Training Student Association (ATSA)
My name is Peyton McCoy, the President for ATSA for the 2014-2015 school year. One of ATSA's goals this year is to raise
enough money to have all our members represent USF at the South East Athletic Training Association Student Symposium in
February 2015. Over the summer our members took a training class to assist in working a concession stand at Raymond James
Stadium to help raise the funds needed. We also plan to host fundraisers in the fall and spring semesters. We are looking
forward to working together as a team toward our goal.