E-Council Candidates Page | Secretary Candidate Mary Annear | Secretary Candidate Kylie Fleming | Secretary Candidate Patricia Kelshaw | Secretary Candidate Brook-Lynne Marcotte
Patricia Kelshaw’s curriculum vitae in PDF form
Patricia Kelshaw’s Candidate Statement
I am honored to be nominated to be the NHATA Secretary position. The mission of the NHATA to advance our profession through clinical outreach, education, and research, directly align with my professional passions. I believe that through my diverse experiences as an athletic trainer, educator, and researcher, that I will be an asset to the NHATA and a strong fit for the position of Secretary.
For four years, I served as the head athletic trainer for the Central Loudoun Youth Football League, in which I was responsible for the health care for over 500 athletes, and was responsible for the supervision and coordination with assistant athletic trainers. During this experience, I also served as a clinical preceptor for undergraduate and graduate athletic training students, and published scholarship regarding youth athlete epidemiology. Further, I served as a project coordinator with the AdvanCing Healthcare Initiatives for UndErserVEd Students (ACHIEVES) project, a grant funded community outreach effort that employs certified athletic trainers in the middle school setting across Prince William County, Virginia.
As an Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire, I am passionate about teaching future athletic trainers. During my career I have taught in a variety of modalities, assisted in the planning and delivery of all core courses taught in athletic training education programs, and developed curriculum to further advance the profession of athletic training. This includes novel experiential learning opportunities, such as creating a platform for students to track their patient encounters and athletic training services.
Lastly, my research experiences have driven my current contemporary expertise of pediatrics and evidence-based practice. For the past eight years, I have investigated potential risk factors and interventions for head impacts and concussions in youth and high school sports. Recently, my research has evolved into a clinically meaningful approach for managing head injuries in children. Specifically, I have investigated neurocognitive concussion performances in middle school students by conducting the first study to generate normative concussion performance scores stratified by gender, age, and preferred language. It was due to this research inquiry and scholarly contribution, that I was awarded a fellowship with Harvard Medical School in the Concussion Research Program. My research efforts have resulted in various collaborations, scholarly products, and are intended to serve clinicians providing care to patients in a way that is socio-culturally responsive, and is of consequence to the development of patient care.
Beyond my experiences, I also hold myself to a high standard and conscientiously strive to have the values of accountability, integrity, and respect in mind. I endeavor to give back to our community and our profession in a way that is meaningful and can have an impact for those under our care, and future athletic trainers. If elected to the NHATA Secretary position, I will work diligently to empower our profession, and advocate for the needs of all athletic trainers on our community. Thank you for considering my candidacy, I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia M. Kelshaw, PhD, LAT, ATC
Patricia’s answer to questions:
- What does serving as an NHATA Officer mean to you? Serving as an NHATA Officer means engaging with and serving our profession and the greater community of athletic trainers. It is an opportunity to give back to the profession that has given so much to me. I recently moved to the great state of New Hampshire, and I see this as an opportunity to not only get to know fellow athletic trainers in the area, but also lay down some roots into this great community. Athletic Training has undergone a challenging time due to the evolving environment of healthcare and the pandemic; and while this is a difficult time for many, I think it also demonstrates how much athletic trainers can be a part of paradigm shifts in health care. It is my hope that by serving the NHATA I can bring my passion for advocating for our profession, along with my work ethic, to foster growth and support the initiatives of the NHATA.
- Describe the qualities, attributes and experiences that have prepared you for the NHATA E-Council position of Secretary? My experience as a head athletic trainer for a large metropolitan youth football organization, combined with my prior experiences as a clinical education coordinator, research assistant, and presently an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire, demonstrate my ability to engage with and serve the community while being professional and organized. Further, I am experienced in using various organization and communication platforms that will ensure reliability and efficiency in the tasks needed as Secretary.
- What do you plan to accomplish as an NHATA Officer? As an NHATA officer I would endeavor to: (i) provide clear and consistent communication via detailed record keeping among all officers and membership, (ii) reliably organize meeting correspondence among the council officers and membership, and (iii) foster the mission of the NHATA through respectful collaboration and community outreach. In addition, I plan to bring my honest viewpoints from my experience as an athletic trainer and educator, to ensure that we consider the diverse viewpoints of many stakeholders in our community.
