Athletic Training Department Celebrates 40th Anniversary

When East Stroudsburg University senior Steven Malvasi was 14 years old, he knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. A rough afternoon at track practice led a teenager with a scraped up knee to his first visit with an athletic trainer. Among the hours spent with his athletic trainer, along with a fascination for the human body and love for sports, Malvasi was hooked on the profession.

“In those moments, I discovered what athletic training meant and knew I couldn’t do anything else,” he said. After a few years, Malvasi decided to chase his passion for athletic training at ESU.

“I wanted to go to a university with a national reputation for athletic training where I would not be just another statistic,” he said. Four years later, Malvasi is confident that a department that has been successful in the academic preparation of athletic training students since 1975 was the perfect fit for him.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Athletic Training Department, founded by John R. Thatcher ’69, Lois E. Wagner ’71, along with Mertice Shane, has certainly seasoned with age. Both nationally recognized and accredited, the department is home to more than 200 undergraduate and 40 graduate majors.

“Even with all the students in our major, the faculty wants to get to know every single one of us,” Malvasi said. From professors and current classmates to alumni of the department, Malvasi feels he has made lifelong friendships at ESU.

“As president of the athletic training honor society, I strive to connect current students with alumni who are out and employed within the field,” he said. Over the years, athletic training alumni have become some of the profession’s strongest leaders in education and research all over the country.

Erik Nason ‘96 left Koehler Fieldhouse and headed to Illinois State University immediately following his graduation from ESU. Shortly after receiving his graduate degree in athletic training, Nason landed at NASA, where he spent the last 17 years.

“My time at ESU had the greatest impact on my career,” Nason said. “When I look back, I see that the department taught me the value of education and provided many hands-on learning opportunities.”

Now serving as the president of the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida, Nason is currently working as the full-time athletic training manager at First Medical Group in Florida. He explained that his Alma Mater came up in a recent conversation and subsequently advised his last intern to apply to ESU.

“There aren’t too many schools that have 40 years of athletic training behind them,” he said. “ESU’s program just shows sustained excellence — I would send students there any day.”

Nason’s attitude toward the department is something that Felicia Twiford ’12 echoes. “Our athletic training department always felt like one big family,” she said. “Professors and students helped each other — we did whatever it took to make sure we would all succeed.”

Twiford is a full-time athletic trainer employed by Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte, N.C.—a position she was offered during her last semester at ESU. “I am so grateful to my clinical instructors at ESU and the amount of hours I spent in clinical rotations,” she said. “I have no doubt that after 40 years, our department will continue to exceed expectations.”

Gerard Rozea, Ph.D., ’96 M’97, department chairperson and associate professor of athletic training, vows that the department will keep up with student expectations. As a student himself in the 1990s, Dr. Rozea grew up in the athletic training department. He chose ESU because the university shared his vision. “Even then I was impressed with the legacy and integrity of the program,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve watched it evolve and stay ahead of the curve in education.”

Most recently, the department’s Professional Practice graduate program received the maximum five-year accreditation, under the direction of Associate Professor of Athletic Training Keith Vanic, Ph.D., ’94.

“We will continue to be innovative and creative in our effort to sustain the tradition of excellence in athletic training,” Dr. Rozea said. With a proven track record, it’s safe to say the athletic training department at ESU won’t be suffering from a mid-life crisis any time soon.

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