Tracey Covassin, a professor in the Michigan State University Department of Kinesiology, is a recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. Each year, the award recognizes NATA members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to leadership, volunteer service, advocacy and distinguished professional activities as an athletic trainer. The award is exclusively given to members who have actively participated in service and leadership roles at both the national and district levels.
Covassin becomes the third Spartan faculty member to receive the award.
“The department is thrilled to celebrate Dr. Covassin’s well-earned recognition with the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award,” said Department of Kinesiology Chairperson Paddy Ekkekakis. “Her groundbreaking research on sports-related concussions, particularly her insights into gender differences, has advanced the field in profound ways. This award is a testament to her dedication, leadership and lasting impact on athlete safety and sports medicine.”
A trailblazer in the field
Covassin, a certified and licensed athletic trainer in Michigan, has over two decades of academic experience in sports medicine, with a focus on sports-related concussions. Her research, cited over 13,000 times, includes more than 150 published manuscripts and multiple book chapters in sports medicine, neurology and psychology journals. In 2024, she was inducted into the Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame.
She 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).
Covassin 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.
She will be recognized at the annual NATA Conference in Orlando, Florida in June 2025.