Michigan State University professor Tracy Covassin inducted into National Academy of Kinesiology

Michigan State University professor Tracey Covassin of the Department of Kinesiology was recently elected to be a member of the National Academy of Kinesiology.

Fellows in the academy are selected based on their contributions to the study of human 
movement. Professor Covassin was one of 18 academics inducted into the academy this year.

Michigan State University Kinesiology department chair and National Academy of Kinesiology member, Panteleimon “Paddy” Ekkekakis, was quoted in an MSU press release on the meaning of an NAK membership, saying, “Membership in the National Academy of Kinesiology represents the highest honor that the community of Kinesiology scholars can bestow on one of its own. During a nearly century-long history, only about 600 individuals have been inducted, which is an indication of the importance of this recognition. We are thrilled that Dr. Covassin has joined this elite group.” 

Covassin has spent almost 20 years in sports medicine, focusing primarily on sports-related concussions. She is a certified and licensed athletic trainer in Michigan. Her scholarly work has been cited by other academics over 10,000 times, including several book chapters and more than 145 manuscripts in journals and publications related to psychology and sports medicine. 

Known for being one of the first in the field to show differences in male and female collegiate athletes when it comes to concussion rates, Covassin has shown through her research that females are at a greater risk of concussions than males. This work has informed the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine’s position statement on concussion in sport in 2018. Covassin has shown through her research that female collegiate athletes and adolescents report more symptoms and show greater ocular-motor and vestibular deficits and all together suffer more neurocognitive impairments after sports-related concussions than their male counterparts.

Professor Covassin is currently serving as the associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training, and is a journal reviewer for multiple other publications such as the Journal of Sports Behavior, Journal of Sports Sciences, Sports Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and more. She is also a peer reviewer of the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. 

In addition to her scholarly work, Covassin is also involved in her community and has led the creation of a program that has given over 10,000 post-concussion and baseline assessments to Michigan community members. She also has a deep connection to, and sense of pride for, the students she has educated during her career. She has advised 52 master’s students and 20 doctoral students. Almost 70 undergrad students have presented their work at MSU’s University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum.

Covassin was also quoted in the press release as saying, “The students are why I’m here, why I do this work.” In addition to her other contributions, Covassin is the director of MSU’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program. Covassin created and runs a field experience course through which undergraduate students can improve their vision of the athletic training career field by working with graduate students and preceptors.

Of her work as an educator, Covassin said, “We care about the students at MSU and want to work with them to achieve their lifelong dream. We have a holistic approach here; supporting you both as a human and finding a work-life balance, while also infusing evidence-based research, practices and strategies into our program.”  

Being inducted into the National Academy of Kinesiology is not the first accolade Covassin has achieved: she was also named a Fellow of the National Academy of Athletic Training back in 2016. NATA also awarded her the 2022 Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educators award, and the 2021 Rachel Oats Leadership Award.

Professor Covassin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from McMaster University, her Masters in Kinesiology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Temple University. She became an assistant professor at Michigan State University in 2005, and a full professor 13 years later, in 2018.

More information about Michigan State University can be found at its website.