WSU Professor Honored as one of Nation’s ‘Most Distinguished Athletic Trainers’

OGDEN, Utah – The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) has named Weber State University associate professor Valerie Herzog one of its 2015 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award recipients.

Herzog is the director of WSU’s Master of Science in Athletic Training, which is housed in the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education.

The national award recognizes NATA members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to leadership, volunteer service, advocacy and distinguished professional activities as an athletic trainer. Recipients must have been members of NATA for at least 20 years and have been involved in service and leadership activities at the national and district levels.

“I am proud to receive this award, which is a reflection of the commitment of the athletic training faculty at Weber State University to the profession,” Herzog said. “All faculty members serve the profession in an effort to ensure our students receive a quality educational experience in our programs and are prepared to serve as vital and respected members of the health care team.”

Herzog has served the profession extensively. Currently she is a commissioner for the national Commission on Training Education, the president of the Utah Athletic Trainers’ Association and on the board of directors for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association.

In 2013, Weber State honored Herzog with the John A. Lindquist Award for her ongoing commitment to student learning through community involvement. As a result of the partnerships she has established, her students have provided volunteer service to Special Olympics, Ogden Rescue Mission, Ogden Marathon, XTERRA triathlon, high school wrestling and basketball tournaments, youth sports camps, junior high and high school physical exams and the Central Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships.

“In graduation surveys, students indicate volunteer experiences helped them feel more connected to their community, and they would continue professional service after graduation,” Herzog said.

Herzog and her students also have studied the effects of concussions while working several seasons with Winning Medicine International and the Dew Tour. The tour sponsors extreme-sports events, such as snowboarding and stunt riding on skateboards, bicycles and motorcycles.

Herzog has made a habit of calling organizers of sporting events coming to Utah to see if WSU students can help and learn.

“Half or more of our graduate students come from out of state, and they want to know what’s different here. We have affiliations with the Dew Tour, Major League Soccer (Real Salt Lake), Minor League Baseball teams, club and varsity sports and high school sports, which provide the chance to see orthopedic surgeries and work with athletic trainers who work for orthopedic surgeons,” she said. “This just adds to the package of ‘look at all you can do here at Weber State.’ There are amazing opportunities for students to grow, mature and become a professional and leave with amazing resumes and varied experience.”

The Distinguished Athletic Trainer presentation will be made during NATA’s 66th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in St. Louis, June 25.

NATA represents and supports 39,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit nata.org for more information on the organization.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
  
Author:
Allison Barlow Hess, Director of Public Relations
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu
Contact:
Valerie Herzog, WSU’s Master of Science in Athletic Training director
801-626-7656 · valerieherzog@weber.edu