JAT Shares DEIA Actionable Items

As part of Phase Six of NATA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) Response Plan, each NATA committee, commission and council was tasked with developing three to five actionable items that support one or more of the six NATA DEIA Commitments.

In this blog post, which is part of an ongoing series highlighting these efforts, NATA Journal of Athletic Training Committee Chair Jay Hertel, PhD, ATC, FNATA, outlines the committee’s actionable items, what the committee hopes to achieve and how members can get involved.
 

What are your committee’s three to five DEIA actionable items, and why were they selected?
Actionable Items:

1. Curate a special issue of JAT on "DEIA in Athletic Training."
2. Increase the diversity of associate editors and editorial board members of JAT.
3. Provide educational opportunities on academic publishing to students and young professionals from underrepresented groups.
    

Why were they selected?

1. Increase dissemination of scholarship related to DEIA in athletic training to the NATA membership and other readers of JAT.
2. Address limited proportion of JAT associate editors and editorial board members from diverse backgrounds.
3. Aim to develop pipeline of AT scholars from historically underrepresented groups.

Tell us about the development process that led your committee to these actionable items
We discussed the actionable items during committee meetings with strong encouragement from our NATA board liaison.

How will the actionable items you’ve outlined impact NATA’s members?

1. The special issue of JAT will increase dissemination of scholarship related to DEIA in athletic training to the NATA membership.
2. Increasing the diversity of JAT associate editors and editorial board members will bring more diverse perspectives to shaping the content of JAT articles.
3. Developing a pipeline of AT scholars from historically underrepresented groups will increase the diversity of perspectives of individuals advancing the AT profession through research and scholarship.

Where are you in completing your three to five actionable items?

1. A call for a special issue of JAT will be made in early December.
2. New associate editor and editorial board members will be named soon to start terms in January 2023.
3. Educational programs aimed at developing diverse AT scholars are under development.

How can your fellow NATA members help bring these actionable items to life? 
Read JAT. Encourage participation in DEIA programming by all.

Where can members learn more about your committee’s DEIA efforts?
A comprehensive rollout of the JAT DEIA special issue call for submissions will be enacted in early December.
 

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