Athletic Therapy celebrates 30 years
Athletic Therapy faculty and instructors. From left to right: Jacquie Camley, Christina Grace, Tracy Griffiths, Richard DeMont, Geoff Dover, Mariann Onofrio
This year, Concordia’s Athletic Therapy program celebrates three decades of excellence.
The program, housed in the newly re-named Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology (formerly the Department of Exercise Science) was founded in 1989, remains one of the only ones of its kind in Canada.
“Until recently, Concordia had the only athletic therapy program in Quebec and east of Toronto,” says program director Richard DeMont. “The large majority of athletic therapists in the province were trained at Concordia. Very few professions could boast that type of stat.”
DeMont has been involved with the program since his arrival at Concordia in 1999, and says it’s an exciting time to be around, as the program continues to teach for tomorrow. “We are in the midst of expanding the program to remain competitive within Quebec and Canada. To do this we need to expand our research profile, and in doing so, establish Concordia as the place for knowledge development and information dissemination related to athletic therapy.”
The program’s unique Honours program allows students to conduct hands-on research as part of their work.
“There are so many opportunities for our students to take advantage of,” says professor Geoffrey Dover, a former program director. “For example, we had a student treating an athlete at the École Nationale de Cirque as part of her internship and it was a really interesting case. The student presented their work at the National Athletic Trainers Association Conference in Las Vegas.”
Program instructor Christina Grace is both a teacher and a graduate, and can testify to the unique benefits the program offers students.
“This department has been an integral part of my personal and professional growth since my entry into the Athletic Therapy program in 1998. My three years as a student helped me build a strong foundation of knowledge on the human body.”
Grace’s work has taken her to elite athletic events all around the world, but teaching remains a passion.
“My past 17 years as an anatomy lab instructor and Athletic Therapist have exposed me to countless challenges and success stories, and have allowed me to build relationships with hundreds of wonderful students and colleagues, many of which I am privileged to call friends today.”
“To me, this 30th anniversary is the time to celebrate my colleagues who have been directly involved in and dedicated to the professional training of our athletic therapy students,” says department chair Véronique Pepin. “These include several full-time and part-time faculty members, lab instructors, teaching assistants, and some of our administrative personnel. This anniversary is their time to shine.”
There will be lots more to celebrate in the year to come. The department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology has a new PhD in health and exercise science starting in fall 2019.
“That means that we can have athletic therapists earning their PhD while studying injury prevention, or factors that prolong rehabilitation in athletes, or concussions. Increasing the contribution to evidenced-based practice is something that is so important to the field of athletic therapy,” says Dover, adding, “We are trying to set an example for the rest of the country.”
Pepin says she is looking forward to celebrating all the good news with former and current students over the coming academic year.
“30th anniversaries are commonly symbolized by the pearl, a precious stone that is difficult to reach. I therefore see this 30th anniversary as an invitation for all of us to fully appreciate and celebrate this "pearl program" of ours!”