Heat Illness Expert Speaks to Southern Miss Athletic Training Students
Fri, 10/03/2014 - 10:59am | By: Hanna Knowles
Dr. Douglas Casa, a nationally recognized expert in the study of exertional heat stroke, heat illness and sudden death in sports, spoke to athletic training students in The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Human Performance and Recreation Oct. 1.
Casa's presentation focused on how to deal with heat stroke in a sports environment. Southern Miss athletic training majors, Hattiesburg area health care administrators and athletic trainers attended his talk.
“All our students have probably been exposed to heat illness at their clinical education sites by this point,” said Dr. Chris Brown, a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) certified Clinical Education Coordinator and assistant professor of athletic training. “Dr. Casa's talk will definitely help their prevention and treatment practices.”
Following his presentation, Casa led students through a lab simulating how to treat heat stroke patients. Students had the opportunity to work through simulated clinical experiences using current and effective techniques for reducing core body temperature.
“This is likely a once in a lifetime experience for these students. The knowledge and skills they took away can help them save someone's life,” Brown said.
Casa contacted Dr. Bill Holcomb, a CAATE certified Program Director and associate professor of athletic training, to ask if he could speak at Southern Miss, as the southeastern region has a one of the highest rates for heat illness in the country.
Casa is professor and director of athletic training education in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. He also serves as chief operating officer of the Korey Stringer Institute. Casa has presented more than 300 times on topics related to heat illness and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has successfully treated more than 100 cases of exertional heat stroke.
To learn more about the School of Human Performance and Recreation's Athletic Training Program, visit www.usm.edu/human-performance-recreation/bs-athletic-training. For more about the Korey Stringer Institute, visit http://ksi.uconn.edu/.