James "Jimmy" Simmons, M.B.A.

Second-year ATSU-SOMA student James “Jimmy” Simmons, M.B.A., recently saved a man’s life when he witnessed a shocking accident that left a man with both legs nearly severed. Simmons and another witness appropriately applied tourniquets and awaited medical attention.

“This action saved a man’s life, and we are proud to have such a quick and helpful thinker in our first class of medical students,” said Eric Parsons, M.D., learning facilitator for ATSU-SOMA at HealthPoint – Kent in Washington state where Simmons is on rotation.

Simmons will receive the Bellevue Police Department Citizen Life Saving Award for helping the man. The ceremony will be held in May 2010.

Matt Halverson, D.O., ‘92, was recognized in Hampton Roads Magazine as a Top Doc in their annual Top Docs issue Best Family Doctors, published in July/August.

The Top Docs listing is compiled from more than 4,600 surveys sent to physicians currently practicing in the Hampton Roads region. Approximately 996 doctors were nominated.

“I’m the only doctor in my family. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor from a very early age,” Dr. Halverson said.

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Pete Youngman

MESA, Ariz. – A.T. Still University (ATSU) and The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) have announced Pete Youngman as the 2009 National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (NBATA) Scholarship recipient.

Youngman, head athletic trainer for the Sacramento Kings, will be rewarded for his accomplishments and dedication in the professional sports industry by receiving full tuition, valued at approximately $16,800, towards a Master of Science in Human Movement at ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. 

“Pete has shown his commitment and dedication to the health and fitness industry and professional sports for over two decades,” said Dr. Micheal Clark, NASM Chief Executive Officer.  “With the further education he will receive from ATSU, he’ll be even better equipped to improve the performance and health of the athletes he works with.” 

Youngman, an alumnus of Ithaca College, has been working in the professional sports industry for over 20 years.  Starting his career in professional sports working with the Boston Red Sox, Youngman transitioned to professional basketball and the Sacramento Kings in 1993 where he worked under former head trainer, Bill Jones, until accepting the lead position in 1996.  Youngman holds credentials in athletic training and performance enhancement, and being a marathon runner himself, holds a true understanding of the role proper motion and alignment has on an athlete’s performance.

“We are pleased to have such a qualified individual join ASTU’s Human Movement program,” said Craig Phelps, D.O., FAOASM,  ATSU provost.  “Youngman’s years in the industry have no doubt prepared him for the demands of the curriculum while the convenient online format will allow him the flexibility to successfully work with the Kings franchise and its players at the same time.”    

The NBATA Scholarship program was developed as part of a collaborative effort between NASM, ATSU and the NBATA to support athletic trainers in the professional basketball industry who embodying the determination and ideals of athletic training.

ATSU’s School of Health Management (SHM) recently changed its faculty model to better meet the needs of its growing student population. According to data provided by the Association of Schools of Public Health, SHM’s public health programming is the sixth largest public health program in the United States. SHM also is currently in the process of seeking program level accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health, and this change helps move the school one step closer to approval.

In addition, “The full-time model allows us to improve our human connection with students,” said Interim Dean Kimberly O’Reilly, D.H.Ed., M.S.W. “Having consistent faculty working with our students helps our student body feel more a part of the University. Lasting connections through student organizations and faculty mentoring is just as important to online students as it is to residential students.

“‘We are also excited about how this new model will allow us to be more involved in our disciplines at a research level. As professionals, we have a duty to contribute to the advancement of our fields not only by educating students but also by being involved in change that is brought about through research projects.”

SHM’s full-time faculty includes Susan B. Randers, Ph.D., and David Line Denali, Ph.D., are assistant professors in the M.P.H. program. Colleen Halupa, Ed.D., and Lynda T. Konecny, D.H.Ed., are assistant professors in the H.ED. program. Mary-Katherine Smith, Dr.P.H., is an assistant professor in the M.P.H. Program.

Mattie Cummins, LMSW, Executive Director of BIAAZ

Mattie Cummins, LMSW, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ), spoke to A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences athletic training students as part of the program’s concussion class Monday, Aug. 17. BIAAZ is a statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people with brain injury and their families. The BIAAZ is interested in making sports-related concussion injuries an additional focus for the Association.

Every 23 seconds, one person in the United States sustains a traumatic brain injury.  1.4 million Americans suffer these injuries each year and an estimated 3.17 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from brain injury. More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of traumatic brain injury.

The BIAAZ, a chartered state affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America, is the only non-profit organization in Arizona that offers people with brain injuries, their families, friends and service providers, resources and services such as peer support groups and counseling, information referral database access, advocacy programs, educational workshops and conferences, and prevention programs.