Students Present Case Studies at Sports Medicine Conference

ORLANDO, July 21, 2010 — Five athletic training students from UCF presented case-study posters at the 13th Annual Florida Hospital Sports Medicine Conference, held July 18 at the Orlando Science Center.

In addition to gaining experience presenting at a professional conference, two students earned monetary awards.

“This is something Florida Hospital started several years ago,” said Kristen Schellhase, director of UCF’s athletic training program. “The hospital wanted to award support to students in our program using a different process than the standard scholarship application.”

Each student investigated an interesting case in sports medicine and wrote both an abstract and poster about their findings, Schellhase said. At the conference, the students displayed their posters and responded to questions posed by the attendees, which included about 240 athletic trainers, physical therapists and medical doctors. In turn, the attendees voted for the best poster presentations.

Rising senior Merritt Henderson won the contest with her case study titled “Hoffa’s Disease in a Division 1 Track and Field Runner.” She was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Another rising senior, Molly Kordsmeier, took second place with her case study titled “Recurring Anterior Shoulder Dislocations in a Collegiate Soccer Player.” She won a $500 scholarship.

The other three students made presentations on a malignant thymoma, an os trigonum syndrome and a radial/ulnar fracture. Each received a store gift card to honor their participation, as well as a great experience to include on their resumes, Schellhase noted.

Athletic training students traditionally prepare a paper, abstract and poster on a case study in their senior year. To participate in the Florida Hospital conference, students must make a commitment to complete the requirement two-and-a-half semesters early and "do it well," she explained.

“They all worked very hard and did a wonderful job,” she proudly added.

Kordsmeier Case-Study Poster Click here to enlarge.

Henderson Case-Study Poster Click here to enlarge.