Covassin receives hall of fame honors

July 23, 2024

Tracey Covassin, a professor in the Michigan State University Department of Kinesiology, was inducted to the Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society (MATS) Hall of Fame. The prestigious award recognizes athletic trainers who have made significant contributions to the field through research, practice and service in Michigan.

A group of smiling people posing for a photo indoors in front of a blue backdrop with the MATS logo repeated across it. In the center, a woman holds a plaque, surrounded by men and women wearing name tags. The setting includes a large window with a view of greenery outside.
Department of Kinesiology Professor Tracey Covassin (front and center) stands alongside students in the MSAT program.

“I’m very grateful that people have recognized the work I have done in both research and as an educator for athletic training students,” said Covassin, who is also the director of MSU’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program (MSAT). “The most rewarding part has been watching students graduate with an athletic training degree and being successful in their own careers.”

She becomes the eighth Spartan faculty member to be inducted since the MATS Hall of Fame began in 1990. “The department is proud of Dr. Covassin’s recent honor from the Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society,” said Department of Kinesiology Chairperson Paddy Ekkekakis. “Her groundbreaking research on sports-related concussions has profoundly impacted the field, particularly her insights into gender differences in concussion rates.”

Covassin is a trailblazer

A certified and licensed athletic trainer in the state of Michigan, Covassin has over 20 years of scholarly background in sports medicine, specifically sports-related concussions. Her work, which has been cited more than 13,000 times, includes more than 150 manuscripts and several book chapters in journals and publications related to sports medicine, neurology and psychology.

Covassin is known for being one of the first researchers to demonstrate differences in sports-related concussion rates between male and female collegiate athletes. Her research on females being at greater risk for concussions than males informed the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine’s position statement on concussion in sport (2018).

A person with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a sleeveless teal blouse, smiling while standing outdoors with greenery in the background.
Department of Kinesiology Professor Tracey Covassin.

She is currently the associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training, and a journal reviewer for several publications, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Sports Medicine, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Sports Behavior and more. Covassin is also a peer reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).  

On June 7, 2024, Covassin was recognized at the Hall of Fame Luncheon during the 2024 MATS Annual Clinical Symposium at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

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