How school athletic trainers improve sport safety | Mayrena Isamar Hernandez | TEDxSHSU

Secondary school athletic trainers are uniquely positioned health care providers. However, disparities in access to athletic training services are prevalent, particularly in low socioeconomic status communities. In this talk, Dr. Mayrena Isamar Hernandez shares the important role of athletic trainers for youth sport safety, and offers recommendations for ways to increase athletic training access in schools. Mayrena Isamar Hernandez, Ph.D., is director of the Healthy Activity toward Promoting Injury Reduction Lab and Assistant Professor in athletic training in the Kinesiology Department at Sam Houston State University. Her research focuses on mixed-methods studies that examine how low socioeconomic status youth athlete families are impacted by the negative consequences of sport specialization. Additionally, she is interested in how athletic trainers’ clinical decisions may be impacted by their patient’s socioeconomic status. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Texas–Arlington, master’s in public health from Kansas State University, and doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Hernandez has worked in various clinical settings, including Division 1 athletics, university health centers, and outreach. She is the recipient of the 2024 National Athletic Trainers’ Research and Education Foundation Doctoral Research Award. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx