Shaun Palmer, PT ’10

ASHS student Shaun Palmer, PT ’10, escaped the desert heat when he was given the opportunity to join the Oakland Raiders’ six-week preseason training camp as a medical staff intern July 29 in Napa Valley, Calif.

Historically, NFL teams maintain a relatively small medical staff throughout the regular season. However, during preseason, new draft picks, returning veterans, and new trades can double team sizes before the start of the regular season. The regular medical staff is then faced with a problem of finding preseason help.

ATSU Director of Human Anatomy Sue Hillman helped Palmer land the job. Scott Touchet, the Raiders’ assistant athletic trainer, was a graduate student of Hillman’s at the University of Arizona, and he calls her each year in search of good interns to help with training camp. After interviewing with the Raiders’ lead trainer, Palmer was offered the position and flew to California where he would spend the next month and a half.

A typical work day for Palmer and the other interns was 16 hours with 6 a.m. wake-up calls. On practice days, interns were charged with setting up training rooms, setting up the practice field with Gatorade, water, and medical kits, and even serving as “cramp patrol” during team meetings. On game days, interns arrived with the medical staff five hours prior to game time to set up the field with Gatorade and medical equipment. They then worked in the training room to provide needed treatment, eventually ending up on the field helping players stretch and providing water during pre-game drills. Following the game, they helped tear down the field and provide treatment.

Before his work with the Oakland Raiders, Palmer had always thought he would enjoy a career in Major League Baseball. Yet after training camp, he admits that he would now consider a career in the NFL. “I always thought of football as intimidating because of the number of traumatic injuries, especially spinal cord injuries,” he said. “But working in the NFL was a lot of fun, and it reinforced that I definitely know enough to survive in the sport and be a competent healthcare professional.”

According to Hillman, Shaun has a rare chance that not many PT students get to be a part of. “Shaun had the opportunity to be a medical staff member for an NFL team,” she said. “To some, it is a dream come true. To Shaun, it is part of his total education.”

Neal Chamberlain, Ph.D.

ATSU-KCOM Microbiology/Immunology Assistant Professor Neal R. Chamberlain, Ph.D., was recently published in the Visual Collection of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) MicrobeLibrary. Dr. Chamberlain’s resource is titled Coagulase Test for Staphylococcus Species.

The Visual Collection is a clearinghouse of high-quality, peer-reviewed images, animations, and videos about the microbial world for educators, primarily at the undergraduate level. To date, there are 591 visual resources in the MicrobeLibrary. Still images make up 73% of the collection; the remaining 27% are animations and video clips.

University recognized three years in a row

A.T. Still University was recognized as a Gold Level Recipient of the American Heart Association’s 2009 Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition program. The University joins an elite group of AHA awardees who have created a culture of physical importance in the workplace. This is the third year in a row ATSU has received Fit-Friendly recognition and was nationally recognized in the September 28 issue of Fortune magazine. 

The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program, sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® Restaurants, Healthy Choice®, and AstraZeneca, is a catalyst for positive change in American business. Companies throughout the nation can be part of the Start! Movement by demonstrating progressive leadership by making the health and wellness of their employees a priority.

ATSU was recognized as a Gold Level Start! Fit Friendly Company for fulfilling the following parameters:

• Offering employees’ physical activity support
• Increasing healthy eating options at the worksite
• Promoting a wellness culture
• Implementing at least nine criteria as outlined by the AHA in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and culture

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ATSU President Jack Magruder and his wife, Sue, hosted the annual Community Gathering on the University’s Missouri Campus on September 22. Members of the community and the University were invited to attend the dinner and social hour, held in the Centennial Commons.

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A.T. Still University (ATSU) hosted its first ever Student Conclave of the Arizona Physical Therapy Association (AzPTA) and its Student Special Interest Group (AZSSIG) on September 12 on its Arizona Campus.

More than 140 physical therapy and physical therapy assistant students from ATSU, Northern Arizona University, Pima Medical Institute, Mohave Community College, and Franklin Pierce University came to ATSU to participate in the conclave, which featured presentations and workshops on topics including leadership and professional development, licensure and certification requirements, and profession advocacy.

Student Conclave Co-chair Lindsy Tribe, PT ’09, called the event a tremendous success. “It far exceeded our greatest expectations,” she said. “Five out of seven of Arizona’s physical therapy and physical therapy assistant programs were represented. The event allowed students from all over the state to network, learn about national and local issues, and prepare for the future as a healthcare professional.”

According to Tribe, AZSSIG was established to further enhance the physical therapy and physical therapy assistant student experience, as well as to promote the profession.