Curry School Kinesiology Alumni Newsletter

FALL 2011

KINESIOLOGY Kinesiology Faculty Martin Block Professor Adapted Physical Education B. Ann Boyce Assoc. Prof. of Teacher Education Health & Physical Education Luke E. Kelly Professor and Program Director of Kinesiology Adapted Physical Education Joe Hart Assistant Professor Sports Medicine Jay Hertel Joe H. Gieck Professor of Sports Medicine Susan Saliba Assistant Professor Sports Medicine John Sirard Assistant Professor Exercise Physiology Arthur Weltman Professor Exercise Physiology Lisa Womack Instructor of Exercise Physiology Read more about our faculty at curry.virginia.edu/kinesiology-newsletter

Editor: Luke Kelly, Director Kinesiology Program Kinesiology is published by the Curry School of Education and is sponsored by the Curry School of Education Foundation, P.O. Box 400276, Charlottesville, VA 22904 curry.virginia.edu/kinesiology-newsletter

Message from Dean Pianta, p. 2 Notes from Counselor Ed, p. 2 New Frontiers, p. 3 Leadership, p. 3 Class Notes, p. 4

Program Expansion Kinesiology to begin direct admission from high school

T

he Kinesiology Program will begin admitting students directly from high school beginning with the class of 2016.

This change has been received with warm enthusiasm from students as well as alumni.

Students see the benefits of being able to begin Kinesiology course work earlier, as well as having a longer period of time to explore the field. They’ll begin with the new Introduction to Kinesiology class, which will give them exposure to the various disciplines. They’ll hear about the research interests of current faculty, and the prerequisites for various graduate programs. They also have the chance to get firsthand knowledge of what different clinicians in the field do each day.

In line with the American Kinesiology Association’s mission to “promote and enhance kinesiology as a unified field of study,” our students will have a common core of courses, such as anatomy, exercise physiology, nutrition, and motor development. Expanding the program from two years to four will provide students with ample time to explore different areas of interest. The additional time spent in the major will give students a better opportunity to get to know their professors, as well as make contacts in the field. They may also have more opportunities to help with research, do additional practicum experiences, or take electives in their area of interest.

There is a great need for educated, caring professionals devoted to improving health through research, teaching, and clinical practice. America is facing a major health crisis, with an unprecedented number of people suffering from chronic diseases related to lifestyle. Accordingly, a major focus of the American College of Sports Medicine’s “Exercise is Medicine” campaign is to advance health through science, education, and medicine. A major emphasis of our expanded undergraduate program is to teach our students about the powerful impact of exercise and physical activity throughout the lifespan. We know our students will have an important impact on the health of our nation, whether they go on to work with children, athletes, healthy adults, or patients.

We’re excited about these new changes and anticipate lots of student interest in the program.

Alumni response has also been encouraging, with most folks wishing they had had the opportunity to be admitted directly into Kinesiology, and spend more time taking classes in the major.

Thanks for the support!

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CLASS NOTES

Submit your class note at curry.virginia.edu/classnotes

Brent Arnold (Ph.D. ‘94) is an associate professor at

Sara Glover (Ph.D ‘06) is an assistant professor at

Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of South

Kristen Banks (B.S.Ed., M.T. ‘03) is a teacher at

Rob Graveline (M.Ed. ‘96) is an exercise physiolo-

Kerry Regan (M.Ed. ‘99) is a PE teacher at Berner

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. Carmel Valley Middle School in San Diego, Calif.

Shelby Basinger (M.Ed. ‘01) is a coordinator/

instructor in the Health & Fitness Science Program at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, N.C.

Sarah Bingham (Ph.D. ‘93) is a professor emeritus of Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

Joe Bock (B.S. ‘81) is a teacher in the Rochester City School District of New York.

Heather Byrne (B.S.Ed. ‘05) is a physical therapist at Bon Secours In Motion, Virginia Beach.

Brooke Canova (B.S.Ed ‘08, M.T. ‘08) is a Lower School PE Teacher at St. Anne’s Belfield School in Charlottesville.

Ross Cash (B.S. Ed. ‘94) is director of instruction for Good Start Golf School in Delray Beach, Fla.

John Christopher (B.S.Ed. ‘02, M.T. ‘02) is a

technology facilitator for the Fountain Fort Carson School District in Colorado.

Allison Colvin (Ed.D. ‘95) is professor of Physical Education at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

Phillip Conatser (Ph.D. ‘99) was recently promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure at the University of Texas Brownsville.

David L. Cook (M.Ed. ’82; Ph.D. ’84) is a sport psychology consultant and motivational speaker and author of Golf ’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.

Wilma Cross (B.S.Ed. ‘97) is Senior Public Health Advisor with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

Ted Croy (Ph.D. ‘11) is an assistant professor at US Army-Baylor University in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Steve Crute (M.Ed. ‘96) is an adapted PE specialist with Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, N.C.

Diane Damiano (Ph.D. ‘93) is a tenure-track scientist with the Nat’l. Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Bethany Dannelly (M.Ed. ‘10) is assistant women’s basketball coach at Colby College in Maine.

Richard Ferguson (M.A. ‘85, Ph.D. ‘91) is chair

Loras College in Dubuque, IA.

gist and owner of Fitness Together in Vienna, Va.

Jeffrey Hartman (M.Ed.’01, Ph.D. ‘05) is an assistant professor at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Dana Henry (B.S.Ed. ‘90, M.T. ‘90) is an elementary P.E. specialist at Lake Grove Elementary in Federal Way, Wash.

Valerie Herzog (M.Ed. ‘96) is the graduate athletic training program director at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Michele Icenhour (M.Ed. ‘01) is the asst. principal at South Hill Elementary School in South Hill, Va.

Paddy Jarit (B.S. ‘86) is a physical therapist/ath-

letic trainer at Sport & Orthopaedic Physical Therapy in Trumbull, Conn.

Regina Kirk (M.Ed. ‘76) retired from Albemarle

County Schools in 2009. She is now working part-time for Henrico County Public Schools.

Aija Klavina (Ph.D. ‘07) is associate professor in the Latvian Academy of Sport Education.

Robin Lownsbury (B.S. ‘86) works with Henrico County Public Schools, Richmond, Va.

Kristen Luck (B.S.Ed. ‘05) is a health & PE teacher at Marshall Road Elementary School in Vienna, Va.

Christina Luntzer (M.Ed ‘04) is an adapted PE

Harrisonburg, Va.

Michael Freeman (M.Ed. ‘05) is a teacher at Berkeley Glenn Elementary in Waynesboro, Va.

Andrea Frye (B.S. ‘86) is assistant principal at Patrick Henry Elementary in Arlington, Va.

Suzanne Ginnow (B.S.Ed. ‘08) graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in May 2011 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

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Howard Roesen (B.S. ‘86) is entering his 20th year

of practice at Affiliated Podiatrist in Newport News, Va. Jeffrey Saunders (B.S.Ed. ‘90, M.Ed.’91) is an attorney for Taylor Walker Law Firm in Richmond, Va.

Matt Schinelli (M.Ed. ‘94) is a teacher and consultant for NJAPE.org.

Nicole Shenk (B.S.Ed. ‘08) is a physical therapist at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethesda, Md.

Shannon Slovensky (M.Ed. ‘05) is working as an exercise physiologist in Charlottesville.

Tyler Smith (B.S.Ed. ‘09) is a student physical therapist at Lynchburg College in Virginia.

Sharon Spalding (M.Ed. ‘83) is professor of physi-

cal education, athletic director, and cross country coach at Mary Baldwin College.

Ashley Speights (B.S.Ed. ‘08) is currently a

Doctor of Physical Therapy with SPARK Physiotherapy in Alexandria, Va.

Cheryl Stuntz (Ph.D. ‘05) was recently tenured

and promoted to associate professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

Tom Susco (B.S.Ed. ‘01, M.Ed. 02) is currently

Robert Thorne (M.Ed. ‘01) is head athletic trainer at

chair, coach and faculty member from SUNY Cortland.

Tarneka Manning (M.Ed. ‘04) is regional manager

of the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago at Oak Park, Ill.

Melanie Marks (B.S.Ed. ‘93) is a physical therapist

with Rehab Associates of Central Virginia in Forest, Va. Megan Maupin (B.S.Ed. ‘06) is a physical therapist with Progress Physical Therapy in Glen Allen, Va.

Kristy McClain (M.Ed. ‘04) is a PE teacher at Virginia School for the Deaf & Blind in Staunton, Va.

Paul Meier (M.Ed. ‘03) is a physician assistant stu-

Meredith Morton (M.Ed. ‘05) is an adapted PE

of Health Services at James Madison University in

at Faulkner State Community College, Gulf Shores, Ala.

Christopher Malone (M.Ed. ‘80) is retired as dean,

Schools in Virginia.

Peter Ferrara (B.S. Ed. ‘09) is a third-year medical Andrew Fink (M.Ed. ‘10) teaches in the Department

Julienne Roach (M.Ed. ‘90) is an adjunct professor

working toward a JD degree at Indiana University -

dent with the US Ski & Snowboard Association in Park

student.

Middle School in Massapequa, New York.

specialist with Williamsburg-James City County Public

of the Physical Education, Wellness and Sport Science Department at Averett University, Danville, Va.

Florida in Tampa, FL

City, Utah.

specialist in Virginia’s Hanover County Public Schools.

Mandy Newberry (M.Ed. ‘07) works with the U.Va. Health System.

Colleen Perry (M.Ed. ‘11) is an adapted PE teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools.

Roberta Powers (B.S.Ed. ‘97) works at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.

Indianapolis.

Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

Bonnie Van Lunen (M.Ed. ‘91, Ph.D. ‘98) is

director of Athletic Training and Human Movement Science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Jeffrey Watts (M.Ed. ‘93) is a teacher at Jones Middle School in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

Leigh-Ann Webb (B.S.Ed. ‘05) is an emergency medicine physician at University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois.

Carrie Weimer (M.Ed. ‘04) is a physical educator at Pasadena Elementary School in Maryland.

Andrea White (M.Ed. ‘02) is a physician’s assistant at Carthage Area Hospital in New York.

Pam Wiegardt (Ed.D. ‘97) is director of interdisci-

plinary studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

Andrew Wilkinson (M.T. ‘09) is a P.E. teacher at Wallace A. Smith Elementary School, Ooltewah, Tenn.

Tony Zentgraf (B.S. ‘77, M.Ed. ‘81) is a PE teacher in Albemarle County Public Schools in Charlottesville.

Nate Zinsser (Ph.D. ‘94) is beginning his 20th year

Jamil Pugh (B.S.Ed. ‘08) works at Sports Medicine

directing a sport psychology program at West Point.

William Quillen (Ph.D. ‘89) is associate dean

Read more about the alumni listed here at curry.virginia.edu/kinesiology-newsletter

and Orthopaedic Center in Chesapeake, Va.

and director or the School of Physical Therapy &

Guskiewicz Gets Genius Grant

Alumnus Rewarded for Groundbreaking Research on Brain Injuries

BY T HE MACARTHU R FOU N DAT I ON AN D LY N N B E L L

G REG MURRAY

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A

career-spanning research agenda launched at the Curry School has propelled Kevin Guskiewicz to the national stage and garnered him a coveted MacArthur fellowship.

Guskiewicz (Ph.D. ’95), a researcher and athletic trainer, has made major advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports-related concussions. Through a combination of laboratory and on-the-field research, Guskiewicz has played an important role in raising awareness about the prevalence and dangers of sports-related brain injuries in both professional and youth athletics.

He was among the first to identify the longterm effects of multiple concussions, including cognitive impairment and depression in later life, through large-scale epidemiological studies of retired professional football players.

“My U.Va. experience in Kinesiology and the Curry School set me on a great path,” Guskiewicz says. “When I was researching doctoral programs in 1992, U.Va. clearly had the premier program in Sports Medicine, and today still ranks among the very best.”

“My U.Va. experience in Kinesiology and the Curry School set me on a great path .”

David H. Perrin, who from 1986 to 2001 directed the Curry School’s graduate program in athletic training and sports medicine, says Kevin was an outstanding doctoral student.

“He was focused, inquisitive, and highly motivated. His dissertation, ‘Effect of Mild Head Injury on Postural Stability,’ set the stage for a research agenda that has transformed the way we think about concussion in sports across all levels of participation,” says Perrin, who is now provost and executive vice chancellor at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

While at Curry, Guskiewicz says, Perrin and Joe Gieck kept him focused on the topic of concussions, which at that time was a novel area of research. He was trying to develop a balance assessment tool that could objectively measure balance deficits following concussion.

“In 1993, Dave Perrin returned from a concussion summit in Dallas, and I can recall him telling me, ‘You could be onto something really important here. It may take some time but let’s stay the course.’”

In this and subsequent research, Guskiewicz demonstrated that postural control, or balance, serves especially well as an objective measure in the evaluation of concussive episodes. His portable and cost-effective Balance Error Scoring System is now widely used by athletic trainers at colleges and secondary schools to diagnose and manage injury more accurately and rapidly.

Guskiewicz is currently Kenan Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina, where he is also founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and research director of the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes.

His recent work focuses on the cumulative effects of repetitive, sub-threshold brain impacts. Using accelerometers embedded in the helmets of college football and youth hockey players, he and colleagues are investigating the relationship between magnitude and number of head impacts and clinical symptoms of concussion. Taking this research a step further, he is working directly with collegiate football players and coaches to identify dangerous hits in real time and to correct

improper tackling techniques associated with sustaining concussions.

“It’s really taking the data and translating it to the sidelines,” he says. “We can take a player and say, ‘Listen, on those last two or three plays you were leading with your head. You’re predisposing yourself to an injury.’”

Thinking beyond the sports field, Guskiewicz and his team have begun to consider other applications of their work. ““I think some of the return-to-play protocols that we have developed through our work with athletes could be translated to the battlefield and thinking about how we return a soldier to the battle lines,” he says.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced its list of 2011 MacArthur Fellows on September 20. The fellowships are awarded to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. Guskiewicz will receive $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years.

The Curry Alumni Portal Get more news about fellow alumni and upcoming events: curry.virginia.edu/alumni

Curry in the Rankings U.Va. has the top Sports Medicine School in the U.S. according to Education-Portal.com The Kinesiology doctoral program at U.Va. was ranked fourth in the nation among graduate schools by the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2010.

In 2011, the Curry School of Education was ranked 22nd among graduate schools of education by U.S. News & World Report. Six program areas were ranked in the top 15: Special Education Secondary Education Educational Policy Elementary Education Administration & Supervision Curriculum & Instruction

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NONPROFT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PPCO

Kinesiology P.O. Box 400268 417 Emmet Street South Charlottesville, VA 22904-4268

A Personal Triumph

Kinesiology student Jared King overcomes personal adversity and succeeds on the field

GRA NT M ATHE WS

BY ASHLEY ROBER TS ON , T H E CAVAL I E R DAI LY

/// Jared King

W

hen third-year Jared King stroked his first career home run to beat Florida State last March, his high school coach viewed it as more than just a walk-off hit.

“You saw his teammates’ eyes when he crossed home plate; that wasn’t just about beating Florida State,” said Mark Hanks, athletic director at Pulaski County High School. “That was about a kid overcoming a lot of adversity to have that one special moment.”

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It was a moment that stood in stark contrast to the last time King played against the Seminoles. During that series nearly two years ago, the first baseman had just lost his mother.

After fighting cervical cancer for nearly half a year, Brenda King passed away March 10, 2009, at age 45. Just three years earlier, his dad, Danny King, also died of cancer.

Rather than withdraw, however, King stepped up. As his freshman peers spent their weekends trying to figure out which fraternities to pledge, the then-19-year-old King spent his time serving as a surrogate father for his 14-year-old sister, Kelly.

Once his father passed away, King understandably could have quit baseball. Danny King had been Jared’s coach for his whole life, so every aspect of the sport was tied to a memory of his father. But that is not the way King is.

“It was obviously different because you come in the dugout and your coach and your father isn’t there,” King said. “But my dad taught me so many things about baseball and life, those things are instilled so deep in my core, that whether he’s here or not, I’m still going to do them. Just to be out on the baseball field, it was an escape, because that’s how I got to not think about things.”

Last year, however, King could no longer turn to the baseball field as his sanctuary. His final “punch in the gut” was a tear in the shoulder, and he had to miss the entire 2010 season while recovering from surgery.

After two major tragedies, it is hard to imagine the impact of this latest setback. As with his other two gut punches, however, King refused to collapse. The first baseman worked tirelessly to recuperate, becoming “one of the first people [to the field] and the last people to leave,” sophomore pitcher Branden Kline said.

King said he works so hard because his parents taught him to do so.

“Both of my parents were always my coaches in every sport until high school, so I was brought up that way,” King said. King uses the memory of his parents as fuel. He said he believes they are not missing out on his games but instead now they can always watch him.

King is a fourth-year student in his second year of the Curry School B.S.Ed./M.T. program in kinesiology and health and physical education. He plans someday to teach and coach baseball.

This article originally appeared in the March 29, 2011, issue of The Cavalier Daily. Reprinted with permission.

Read more about King at curry.virginia.edu/kinesiology-newsletter

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