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Mike Chisar
Mike Chisar (left in photo), DVC professor of sports medicine and physical education, has been named the 2011 California Community College Athletic Trainer of the Year, and has received the 2011 Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association (FWATA) Special Recognition Award, and the 2011 National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Athletic Trainer Service Award.
The California community college award honors a college athletic trainer who has gone “above and beyond” and made a significant impact on the profession, community college athletics programs, or the athletes and students they serve.
The FWATA award recognizes those who have or are making a significant contribution of their time and energy to the organization and the promotion of athletic training. The NATA national award recognizes members from the 32,000+ organization who have demonstrated a strong commitment to their local and national associations, and will be acknowledged during the 2011 annual meeting and clinical symposium in New Orleans.
Chisar earned his B.S. degree at CSU Fullerton and his M.S. degree at Hahnemann University in Pennsylvania. He has been teaching at DVC since 1995.
In June, Chisar will have completed nine years on the board of the California Community College Athletic Trainers Association, including the last three years as its president. He just completed five years as chair of the FWATA governmental affairs committee, is integral in the California Athletic Trainers’ Association’s legislative efforts --including student safety legislation -- and in June will assume the duties as chair of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association governmental affairs committee.
Chisar is currently working on a peer-reviewed research article with a co-author on fatalities in young athletes and in April 2011 had a poster presentation at the FWATA annual meeting, titled “Sudden Death in Young Competitive Athletes: Analysis of Deaths in the United States, 2008-2010.”
He has completed data collection on a second research article with a local physician regarding a meniscal repair device. That research was also the topic of a poster presentation at the AANA meeting in April titled “Meniscal Repair Using the USS Sports Medicine Meniscal Stapler.”
Not only has Chisar achieved great success in his career at the state and national level, but he is also helping his students to reach their goals in the field.
Rick Becker (second from left in photo) received the 2011-2012 CATA scholarship, and will be transferring into the athletic training education program (ATEP) at Cal State Fullerton. DVC student Rebecca Ribiero was the recipient of this award for 2010-2011, and is also at CSU Fullerton. Nine of the last 10 recipients of this competitive scholarship for community college students who are pursuing a career in athletic training have come from DVC.
Other students from the DVC sports medicine/athletic training program who are transferring in fall 2011 to athletic training education or other allied health programs at four-year colleges and universities include Igor Nosivitsky (right in photo), Cal Baptist University, in the ATEP entry level masters program; Katie Baker, Cal State Northridge; Rick Becker, Cal State Fullerton; Kevin Boyd, University of the Pacific; and Nolan Manzano (third from left in photo), Northern Colorado University, all in the ATEP program; and Michelle Riddick, Mount St. Mary’s, doctor of physical therapy program.
Over the last 10 years more than 20 former DVC sports medicine/athletic training students have gone on to become certified athletic trainers, and more than 20 have entered other health care professions such as nursing, physical therapy or physician assistants, with a number of others currently in athletic training or other health care education programs.