Sports Administration Pride Points
Daniel Bauer(dbauer@bellarmine.edu), Program Director
- 66 percent of graduates have accepted professional positions in areas such as coaching, sports management, facility and event management, business and communication, and professional athlete.
- 34 percent of graduates have continued to graduate school (MBA, Master of Science in Sports Administration, Law School, Master of Communication, Master of Arts in Digital Media, MA in Teaching, MA in Higher Education).
- Sports Administration majors develop a customized, individualized degree program utilizing the 39 free elective credit hours that are part of the program. Double majors and minors include: Accounting, Business Administration, Communication, Economics, Finance, History, Marketing Communication, Nutrition, Political Science, Psychology, and Television News and Sports Broadcasting.
- Sports Administration students have an opportunity to complete a minor in Esports and participate on the Bellarmine University Club Esports team.
- Students in the Facility and Event Management class (SPOR 301) complete hands-on projects that have included promoting and managing the Annual Run for Ryann scholarship fundraising event, developing a social media plan and content for the Bellarmine University Lacrosse team, and developing a web presence for the Bellarmine University Esports team.
- Required internships have been served at Louisville FC Soccer Club, Louisville Bats, USTA (United States Tennis Association), Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, NCAA, Bellarmine University Athletic Department, Eastern Kentucky University Athletic Department, Davidson College Athletic Department, University of Louisville Athletic Department, Valhalla Golf Club, Under Armor, Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, Andy Frain Sports and Entertainment Services and more.
Exercise Science Pride Points
Sara Mahoney (smahoney@bellarmine.edu), Chair and Program Director
- The Exercise Science program has associations and gained recognition from the American College of Sports Medicine as an Exercise is Medicine campus, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Education Recognition Program.
- The Exercise Science Program offers unique experiential learning opportunities including:
- An on-campus Service-Learning Clinic for students to serve the local community through the provision of pro-bono exercise assessment and prescription, providing an opportunity to complete their internship practicing as an exercise physiologist.
- A 90 hour internship, tailored to their career interest, providing students real-world experience in the local community. Some internship partners include: Norton Healthcare, Kentucky Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Team (KORT) Clinics, Shawnee Medical Clinic, Pro-formance Health, the Louisville Sports Commission and many others.
- Opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct research alongside highly-respected and nationally recognized faculty.
- Many students present research at regional and national conferences, receive grants to fund their projects, and compete in the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Student Bowl.
- Dr. Thomas Wójcicki was awarded a Walking College Fellowship (2019) from America Walks.
Master’s in Athletic Training Pride Points
Myra Stockdale (mstockdale@bellarmine.edu) MSAT Chair and Program Director
- The MSAT Program is one of only 5 CAATE accredited masters programs in Kentucky.
- The program provides immersive clinical site placements at local organizations including Norton Health Care, the University of Louisville, Louisville City FC, the Louisville Ballet, KORT Sports Performance and Rehabilitation, Ellis and Badenhausen Sports Medicine, Bellarmine University, and Eastern KY University. Local high schools include: JCPS, Trinity, Saint Xavier, Floyd Central and Silver Creek High Schools. Outside of Kentucky clinical sites include: Leo University in Florida, UNC Chapel Hill, the University of Delaware, Butler University, Phoenix Rising FC, and the Baltimore Orioles.
- Collaborative service-learning opportunities each semester with Bellarmine University’s Nurse Practitioner and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs providing pre-participation sports physical examinations, rehabilitation programs for student athletes, and return to play.
- International study abroad and community service opportunities in the Dominican Republic and locally with Mighty Oak Academy.
- Since the students in the MSAT program began their clinical rotations in the spring of 2018, 27 students have amassed over 27,000 clinical hours with over 19,000 patient encounters.
- Active community involvement providing pre-participation physical examinations PPEs for local high schools.
- The Master of Athletic Training Program’s last two cohorts have achieved a 100% pass rate on the NATA BOC (National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification) examination.
Doctor of Physical Therapy Pride Points
Megan Danzl, PT Chair and Program Director (mdanzl@bellarmine.edu)
- Welcoming and inclusive department culture
- Dedicated faculty and staff
- 16 full-time core faculty, all with terminal academic and/or clinical degrees, and many with advanced clinical specializations who maintain active clinical practice
- 10 faculty hold advanced ABPTS (American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists) board certification in specialized areas including cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, neurologic, and orthopaedics.
- Faculty service on national professional committees in education and in several of the Academies of the American Physical Therapy Association
- 3 faculty are Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT)
- 40+ highly trained adjunct faculty members
- Outcome statistics
- 96% graduation rate
- 98.7% overall pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination; above the national average
- 100% employed within one year of passing the licensure examination; most have job offers before graduation
- Program reflects university’s mission-centric hallmark with seven pro-bono service-learning clinics that provide hands-on, supervised clinical training across the lifespan beginning in Semester 2:
- The Michael E. Hobbs Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic. Believed to be the first endowed Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic in the nation, the on-campus flagship provides pro-bono clinical services to adults at Bellarmine and in the surrounding community who have primary musculoskeletal conditions.
- Active Steps for Diabetes Clinic. Interprofessional (physical therapy, nursing, exercise science, medical laboratory science students and faculty) clinic developed in collaboration with Park DuValle Community Health Center and Louisville Metro Public Health to serve individuals who have diabetes mellitus and co-morbidities. Empowers individuals to manage their diabetes instead of having their diabetes manage them.
- Parkinson Support Group Dance Program: “Let’s Dance!” In collaboration with the Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana, this exercise program provides therapeutic movement to individuals with Parkinson disease through dance instruction and intervention with a focus on balance and mobility.
- Pediatric Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic. Supported in part by WHAS Crusade for Children Grant funding, the clinic provides pro-bono services to infants and children with developmental delays and a variety of neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida.
- Norton Cressman Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic. This collaborative partnership provides therapeutic intervention for adults with neurological movement disorders such as Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson disease, and stroke.
- Sports Rehabilitation Service-Learning Clinic. Provides Bellarmine University student-athletes with injury care, management and prevention in an inter-professional environment with physical therapists and athletic training students and faculty.
- The Thrive Center Service-Learning Clinic. In collaboration with The Thrive Center Inc., this clinic in the heart of Nulu in downtown Louisville spotlights technology innovation and promotes healthy aging.
- All students complete a capstone project, many reflective of community engagement with local organizations.
- Students and faculty regularly collaborate on research projects and present findings at national conferences including the APTA Combined Sections Meeting.
- Provides APTA-Kentucky Chapter approved professional development workshops and Continuing Education events for licensed physical therapists in the community
- Maintains 400+ national contracts for clinical internship placement, including an international internship in Italy
- International study abroad and service-learning opportunities in Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Australia
- Commitment to advanced post-entry level PT education
- Two ABPTRFE (American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship) credentialed residency programs: Neurology & Geriatrics
- Developing the first Movement Disorders Neurological Fellowship in the United States
- Contemporary classroom, laboratory, and research resources
- Innovative technology
- Year-round access to online textbooks
- Gross Anatomy laboratory
- State-of-the-art simulation laboratory
- Advanced Electives Offered
- Topics such as pain neuroscience, advanced neurologic practice, pelvic health, advanced gross anatomy dissection, advanced manual therapy, aquatics, and international PT immersion in Belize
- Commitment to interprofessional education programming
- Workshops with other rehabilitation profession students (e.g., Occupational Therapy students, Speech Language Pathology students)
- Student centered resources available
- Student Success Center, Counseling Center, Writing Center, Peer Tutoring, Accessibility Resource Center