UCF Athletic Training Program

11/14/2025

Can AI help that aching feeling in your lower-back? Associate Professor and READY Lab Director Colby Mangum in the UCF Athletic Training Program is working on a study that may find out.

Mangum is collecting ultrasound imaging data on those who suffer from lower-back pain and those who don't. This data will help train AI about the human body and could lead to more efficient ultrasound analysis and faster diagnoses.

Mangum and UCF College of Medicine Associate Professor Laura Brattain, Mangum's research partner and an expert in biomedical AI, met with WESH2 to give a deeper look at their study. Watch the full interview below:
https://www.wesh.com/article/ucf-researchers-marrying-ultrasound-ai-treat-back-pain/69241611

11/10/2025

Three of them are athletic trainers mentored by MAT faculty member Dr. Mangum!

🎉 Congratulations to the 2025 Alpha Eta Award Recipients! 🎉
👏 Student Research Awards:
Jonathan Beausejour, Evyn Callahan, Rebecca Carson
🏆 Lee Holder Award for Excellence in Graduate Allied Health Education:
Andrew Skibski
These outstanding individuals have demonstrated excellence in research, scholarship, and leadership.🌟
We are proud to celebrate their achievements through the Alpha Eta Society, the national honor society for Allied Health professionals.

11/06/2025

CHPS Alumni — we’re coming to Washington, D.C.!

You’re invited to join Dean Matthew Theriot and your fellow UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences alumni for two exciting gatherings this November!

CHPS Alumni & Friends Networking Happy Hour
Thursday, Nov. 20 | 5:30–7:30 p.m.
City Tap House, 1250 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C.
Connect with CHPS alumni, faculty, and staff in the D.C. area, meet Dean Theriot, and learn more about the growing D.C. Regional Chapter!

CHPS Open House during the 2025 ASHA Convention
Friday, Nov. 21 | 8:30–11 p.m.
Westin Washington, D.C. Downtown
Following the ASHA Awards Ceremony, join us to celebrate UCF awardees, network with colleagues, and hear the latest from the college.

Both events are open to CHPS alumni and friends. We can’t wait to see our Knights in the nation’s capital!

Register here: https://foundation.ucf.edu/chps-heads-to-DC.

11/05/2025

Associate Professor Ethan Hill in the School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences conducted research to help keep astronauts healthy while in space, and his work is now translating to populations like seniors and people with multiple sclerosis. He's developing exercise countermeasures that maintain muscle strength and mass, developing techniques for people to build stronger, more resilient bodies while in space or on Earth.

Learn more: https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researcher-aims-to-preserve-astronauts-muscle-function-in-space/

11/03/2025

10/23/2025

Dean Matthew Theriot takes Media Ambassador Jehanna through the Dean's office and answers 21 rapid-fire questions. After welcoming us at the front desk, Theriot talks about his love for family, music and CHPS.

10/22/2025

💪 Join us for our third speaker in the UCF Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science's Research Seminar Series with a presentation from Research Scientist Postdoctoral Audrey Collins from AdventHealth Research Institute on Friday, October 31st at 12:00 p.m.!

She'll present “Time Well Spent: Physical Activity and Brain Health in Late Adulthood" in room TA130. Drawing on emerging research, this session will discuss the importance of physical activity for optimizing brain health in late adulthood, the mechanisms in which this relationship may take place, and future directions for the field.

Find the link to join virtually below:
https://events.ucf.edu/event/3909147/research-seminar-dr-audrey-collins-adventhealth-research-institute/

10/15/2025

10/09/2025

🏈 The College of Health Professions and Sciences and the College of Nursing teamed up for our first ever joint alumni tailgate party, bringing together Knight healthcare professionals and their families from across the region! Guests enjoyed 4Rivers BBQ, exclusive swag, and the chance to connect ahead of last weekend's UCF football game. Go Knights! 🖤💛

10/08/2025

💪 Join us for our second speaker in the Research Seminar Series with a presentation from Professor Eduardo De Souza from The University of Tampa on Friday, October 17th at 12:00 p.m.!

He'll present “Resistance Training Volume and the Quest for Muscle Growth – Do Meta-Analyses Close the Case?" in room TA130. This talk unpacks why separating signal from noise in RCTs and meta-analyses is crucial, and explores the uncertainties still clouding the dose-response relationship.

Find the link to join virtually here👇
https://events.ucf.edu/event/3909076/research-seminar-dr-eduardo-de-souza-the-university-of-tampa/

09/30/2025

CHPS researchers are inviting dancers to participate in a research study exploring the relationship between core muscle thickness and balance in dancers.

Learn more and participate: https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/research/studies/core-musculature-and-balance-of-dancers/

09/24/2025

Have you RSVP’d for our tailgate yet? 🏈⚔

On Saturday, October 4, the College of Health Professions and Sciences and the College of Nursing are teaming up for our first-ever tailgate party! From 4:30–6:30 PM, enjoy 4Rivers BBQ, fun, and plenty of Knight spirit with alumni, faculty, staff, and friends.

🎟️ Only $20 per person — includes a meal voucher, exclusive visor + koozie, and access to a reserved indoor space!

RSVP by Oct. 1 to get in on the game day festivities: : https://foundation.ucf.edu/event-registration-pages/chps/knight-beat-tailgate--ucf--hosted-by-chps--nursing1004.