[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/11\/upmc-athletic-training\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/11\/upmc-athletic-training\/","headline":"Trust, Care, and Guidance: Athletic Training at UPMC","name":"Trust, Care, and Guidance: Athletic Training at UPMC","description":"

UPMC Sports Medicine employs 203 athletic trainers, supporting 78 high schools and 14 colleges. Learn about how our athletic trainers help student-athletes.<\/p>","datePublished":"2025-11-13","dateModified":"2025-11-13","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","name":"Sports Medicine","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/sports-medicine\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7Z8A4571-e1763051337862.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7Z8A4571-e1763051337862.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/11\/upmc-athletic-training\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Sports Medicine","UPMC Stories"],"wordCount":1042,"articleBody":"Athletic trainers aren\u2019t just for the pros. They also support student-athletes in schools and communities with care, mentorship, and guidance. This helps them perform, recover, and thrive.UPMC Sports Medicine may remind you of our partnerships with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, or the Pittsburgh Penguins. UPMC has long been the provider of choice for many high-level athletes. We bring world-class care to world-class players.But UPMC\u2019s 200+ expert athletic trainers don’t just help pro athletes. They also work with schools and sports organizations across the state of Pennsylvania.\u201cOur athletic trainers are on-site daily, delivering comprehensive injury evaluation and treatment for varsity and junior varsity student-athletes at the high school level, as well as a significant number of collegiate, club sport, and youth sport athletes and organizations such as the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Youngstown Phantoms,\u201d says Kathleen Nachazel, athletic training director, UPMC.\u201cThis commitment ensures that student-athletes receive the same world-class care as the pros, underscoring UPMC\u2019s dedication to all levels of competition.\u201dAthletic Training in Southwest Pa.Mt. Lebanon High School lies a few miles south of Pittsburgh. Jessica Falvo begins her workday there when the final bell of the school day rings. Students arrive with sprains, strains, or, sometimes, a need for reassurance.Jessica started out wanting to work with college athletics programs. She later discovered her true passion was with high school athletes.\u201cHigh school students need more than just medical care,\u201d says Jessica, athletic trainer and southeast region supervisor, UPMC Sports Medicine Athletic Training and Development. \u201cThey need encouragement, perspective, and someone who will listen.\u201cWhen the freshmen first come in, they\u2019re here with all the things that feel huge to them, even if it\u2019s really something small. But as the years go by, you can see the growth as their maturity goes up, their confidence goes up, and they start to trust the process more. Understanding rehab doesn\u2019t take as long as they think, and they\u2019re able to bounce back.\u201dJessica sees her role as a variety of elements. These include guidance, direct health care, and mentorship.She aids six different sports. These include lacrosse and volleyball. She\u2019s also part of a larger team of athletic trainers at the school.Each of these trainers brings their own strengths. These include rehabilitation expertise and first-response readiness. They also include communication with families.UPMC’s support gives Jessica and her colleagues access to physicians and schedulers. This allows them to connect athletes to the right care.\u201cThat builds trust \u2014 not just with the students, but with their parents too,\u201d she says.Athletic Training in Northwest Pa.At North East High School in Erie County, Pa., Erin Terry has served athletes for nearly 25 years.Erin has built a reputation as a steady and trusted presence in the community. This has earned her the nickname, “The Mayor of North East.” Her path to athletic training began with personal experience \u2014 an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in high school that required a long rehabilitation process.Erin\u2019s interests in science and athletics and her desire to help others led her to a passion for athletic training. This passion has carried through to thousands of student-athletes over the years.\u201cParents don\u2019t always realize what we do until their child gets injured,\u201d says Erin, athletic trainer and supervisor. \u201cBut we\u2019re there from that first moment of care through rehab and the return to play. We\u2019re also focused on prevention and education, which is just as important.\u201dSprains, strains, and bruises are common injuries she sees. But one moment that stood out for her was a football player who broke his collarbone right in front of her during a game.\u201cI knew what happened the instant he landed in front of me,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI could read his facial expression and could tell it wasn\u2019t good. I coordinated care from immediate on-field triage all through getting him back on the basketball court in the winter.\u201dErin works closely with coaches to design preseason and in-season conditioning programs to reduce injury risk. Many athletic trainers pursue additional certifications in performance enhancement specialization and injury prevention. This ensures student-athletes get top-level care at their school.For Brian Dewey, North East athletic director, UPMC\u2019s involvement has made all the difference.\u201cOur program now operates with peace of mind,\u201d he says. \u201cParents know their kids will receive quality care, and that confidence has directly increased the number of students participating in sports.\u201dBrian also highlighted the daily collaboration between coaches and Erin. They work together to keep athletes healthy and performing at their best.\u201cIf a student is coming back from an injury, they can get therapy every day at practice,\u201d he says. \u201cThat kind of access changes everything.\u201dThe Importance of Athletic TrainersFor both Jessica and Erin, athletic training is about far more than treating injuries. It\u2019s about mentorship, building trust, and helping student-athletes understand that health care is accessible and supportive.Jessica hopes to see athletic training introduced to younger athletes. This can teach them early on that athletic trainers are there to help them. This is true not just during moments of injury but throughout their growth.Erin views UPMC as a crucial and internationally recognized leader in sports medicine. She knows that we show up on community sidelines locally and globally. This empowers kids and families where it matters most.UPMC athletic trainers are shaping the future of sports medicine at the community level. Jessica and Erin know how to listen to a worried student after school. They also know how to coordinate a return-to-play plan with coaches and parents.They bring world-class expertise into schools. This ensures that young athletes are safe and supported. It also enables them to thrive both in competition and in life.Support for Athletes Close to HomeUPMC Sports Medicine employs 203 athletic trainers. We support 78 high schools and 14 colleges across southwest Pennsylvania, northwest Pennsylvania, and north central Pennsylvania.UPMC Orthopaedic Care in Central Pa. also has a sports medicine program that supports many high schools in that region. This includes physician and sports physical services and a team of athletic trainers who work with local high schools.Sources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2025","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"11","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/\/11\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Trust, Care, and Guidance: Athletic Training at UPMC","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/11\/upmc-athletic-training\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]