Faculty and Staff Earn Awards at 2011 SEATA Convention

On Saturday, March 12, 2011 at the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association Awards Luncheon in Atlanta, GA, the LSU Athletic Training Staff was awarded a few prestigious awards for their honorary achievement in the profession of Athletic Training.

Jack Marucci, MS, ATC, Director of Athletic Training and Head Athletic Trainer for LSU Football along with the rest of the LSU Athletic Training Staff, were awarded the College/University Athletic Trainer Award. This award is presented to an Athletic Trainer who serves in many roles in addition to Athletic Training, in the institution, community, and SEATA. Marucci and members of the Athletic Training Staff also serve as clinical instructors in the College of Education's Department of Kinesiology.

Ray Castle, PhD, ATC, LAT, Director of Athletic Training Education Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology received the Chuck Kimmel Award of Merit. This award is given to a member of SEATA who has worked for the district on a national level and brought honor and distinction to the district.


Melissa Thompson, PhD, MEd, ATC, Athletic Training Program Instructor received the Backbone Award. This award, named for the way the "backbone" makes the day-to-day functioning of the Athletic Training Room a smooth process, recognizes an Athletic Trainer who has provided a significant contribution to Athletic Training Program operations and to the Head Athletic Trainer.


Picture Above (L-R): Keith Thompson, MS, ATC, CSCS (accepting College/University Athletic Trainer Award), Melissa Thompson, PhD, MEd, ATC (Backbone Award), and Ray Castle, PhD, ATC, LAT (Chuck Kimmel Award of Merit)

For the original media release article, please visit the College of Education, Department of Kinesiology's website here.

For more information about 2011 SEATA Award winners, visit the website here.

Late Detection of Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans in a High School Football Player: A Case Report by Shari Benson, Former LSU Graduate Assistant

Shari Benson, former LSU Graduate Assistant, and currently in a fellowship with the Steadman Clinic, is presenting an Oral Case Study at this year's 62nd Annual NATA National Convention and Clinical Symposium in New Orleans, LA. Below is a brief overview of her case study. Be sure to attend the Convention to see Shari present the full Case Study. Yet another educational story and a reminder of how our LSU Alumni are contributing to the improvement of the health and well-being of athletes.

Late Detection of Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans in a High School Football Player: A Case Report

Abstract: Case report on a 17 YO football player at a rural high school who went misdiagnosed of R elbow OCD for 4 years. He had no MOI, but reported catching and locking with activity and was treated for lateral epicondylitis. A CT Scan revealed multiple loose bodies and moderate to severe damage to the articular surface of his capitellum. He underwent a R elbow synovectomy, loose body excision, and chondroplasty of his capitellum. He has now returned to sport without issues. The significance of this report is that OCD is commonly misdiagnosed in high school athletes, but is a common injury in adolescent football players and gymnasts. Due to the length of time this athlete went untreated, his lesion worsened to the point where he had 4 large loose bodies and significant damage to his articular cartilage, which makes him 50% more susceptible to having arthritis later in life. Most physicians are hesitant to operate on young athletes due to growth plate factors and their ability to heal non-operatively, however, untreated OCD is the leading cause of permanent elbow disability. Therefore, it is important to have the knowledge and clinical skill set to detect OCD early in adolescent athletes in order to avoid elbow arthritis and disability long-term.

LSU Athletic Training Student of the Month

Congratulations to Dani Klein, this month's Student of the Month! Dani is a 3rd year Athletic Training Student currently working with University High School. Previous clinical rotations include LSU Football and Swimming and Diving. Throughout her years at LSU, Dani has been a superior role model and leader in both the classroom and clinically, as well as actively promoting the Athletic Training profession. At the conclusion of her junior year, Dani obtained a highly sought after NFL Summer Internship position with the Buffalo Bills. She was LSU's first female athletic training student to acquire such an internship. As expected, she represented LSU with integrity and hard work. She currently serves as the President of LSU's Student Organization, Alpha Tau Sigma, where she takes on many leadership responsibilities, including community service events and fundraisers. One of her main responsibilities this year was to coordinate the Alpha Tau Sigma's Annual High School Student Symposium.

Melissa Sorrells, MS, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer for University High School has had the pleasure of supervising Dani's current clinical rotation while at LSU and says "Dani's extraordinary leadership abilities have enabled her to become one of the top students in the program. Her passion and dedication to the Athletic Training profession as well as U-High has made her one to be counted on and looked up to, from not just the student athletes, but to faculty, staff, and other medical professionals as well. I have no doubt that she will succeed in her future role at Virginia Tech and go on to do great things for Athletic Training". Upon leaving the LSU Athletic Training Program in May, Dani will attend Virginia Tech University where she will obtain her Master's Degree while pursuing a Graduate Assistantship with Swimming and Diving. We wish Dani the best of luck in her future endeavors in the Athletic Training profession!

Donate to the American Red Cross to Help Support the Relief Efforts in Japan

On March 11, 2011, a devastating 8.9 scale earthquake hit the country of Japan, causing yet another deadly natural disaster, a 10 meter high tsunami that destroyed the lives and homes of many residents of Japan and the Pacific Coast.

Noritoshi Shirakawa, ATC, former LSU Athletic Training Student (2007-2010) and current Certified Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Illinois is a native of Japan. Nori was an excellent student in the LSU Athletic Training Education Program, and was the award winner of the prestigious Academic Achievement Award two years in a row, as well as the NATA Research and Education Foundation Master's Scholarship in 2010. He was assigned to Football in 2007 and was part of the 2007 National Championship team. Nori was also part of very successful Track and Field and Softball programs. In the summers of 2008 and 2009, Nori also fulfilled interests in completing an NFL Internship with the Houston Texans and an MLB Intership with the Texas Rangers. Working with his native country, Nori also provided medical services to the Nippon Tornados, an independent semi-professional basketball team.

Minekazu (Kaz) Isobe, ATC, is also a former LSU Athletic Training Student (2005-2008) and native of Japan. Kaz was an outstanding Athletic Training Student at LSU, receiving the Academic Achievement Award in 2006-2007. He also participated in an NFL Internship with the Houston Texans in 2009. Kaz currently resides in Hiroshima, Japan, which is about 650 miles away from the devastation. He has been working as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Sanfrecce Hiroshima Japanese Professional Soccer Team in the J. League Division I. To help out LSU Alumni and those affected by the disaster in Japan and the Pacific Coast, please make a donation to the American Red Cross. Donations can be made in the name of the disaster, and can be made either online or by mail. We ask that you please take the time to support the LSU Alumni in this difficult time. To make a donation, visit the American Red Cross website.