During the 75th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo, in-person attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the latest athletic training research, thanks to the NATA Research & Education Free Communications Program.
Often the first chance for an athletic trainer to present their research and clinical case studies, the Free Communications Program features rapid-fire oral and poster presentations enriching attendees’ convention education repertoire.
Since its inception in 1997, the Free Communications Program has featured more than 8,000 oral and poster presentations. This year, NATA 2024 in-person attendees can attend rapid-fire oral presentations and converse with the poster presenters throughout the live dates in New Orleans. The digital poster presentations will also be available in the NATA 2024 On-Demand platform.
“The Free Communications Program remains a unique opportunity to see the latest athletic training evidence capable of advancing both clinical practice and future research,” said Free Communications Committee Chair Erik Wikstrom, PhD, ATC. “We encourage each rapid-fire oral and poster presenter to offer take-home messages to ensure that the most pertinent information is central to the presentation.”
During NATA 2024, the Free Communications Program features 18 rapid-fire oral sessions highlighting 134 presentations, and nine poster presenter sessions highlighting 136 unique abstracts.
“The rapid-fire sessions have clustered seven to eight research investigations around specific themes with each investigation summarized in a six-minute oral presentation,” Wikstrom said. “The goal is to provide attendees with the opportunity to consume a multitude of studies around a theme quickly.”
“The poster presentations will be displayed on-site throughout [NATA 2024] and attendees will also have the chance to chat with poster presenters. The goal is to provide attendees with one-on-one interactions with scholars and clinicians and the chance to consume the latest evidence at their own pace.”
This year’s Free Communications Award recipients will also be honored during the NATA Foundation Distinguished Scholars Presentation from 12:45 to 2:45 p.m. June 27 in MCC, Room 272. Honorees include:
- Pre-Professional/Professional Student: Sara Escobar, University of Lynchburg
- Post-Professional Advanced Clinical Track Student: David Jacques, MS, ATC, University of Toledo
- Post-Professional Terminal Degree Student: Sunghoon Chung, MS, ATC, Old Dominion University
- Early Career: Laurel Trail, MPA, ATC, University of Texas at Tyler
- Established Career: Johna Register-Mihalik, PHD, ATC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Following the in-person convention, attendees will have access to Free Communications Program poster presentations Aug.1-Oct. 1 via NATA 2024 On-Demand.
For more information about attending the in-person Free Communications Program, visit the convention website. There, you can also access the detailed NATA 2024 schedule .
