Jeremy Hawkins, PhD, LAT, ATC, received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with an athletic training emphasis from Brigham Young University (BYU). Hawkins then went on to earn his Master of Science in Sports Medicine with a Public Health minor from Oregon State University before returning to BYU to earn his PhD in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Athletic Training Program Director at Colorado Mesa University, Hawkins is a Professor of Kinesiology.
Hawkins has been an athletic training educator for more than a decade. In addition to classroom teaching experience he has also worked clinically at the high school, collegiate (Division I and II) and professional levels, as well as in a physical therapy clinic. Hawkins teaches primarily athletic training courses in the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program.
Since athletic training is such a hands on profession, Hawkins does his best to take the same approach in his courses, ever mindful of what the brain is doing while in class. Hawkins holds a firm belief that education changes lives, and because of that, he loves to be involved in that process. One of Hawkins' favorite ways to engage students in learning outside of the classroom is to take them with him to cover a sporting event or into the lab to conduct research. He said he finds those one-on-one interactions to be very rewarding.
Outside of class, Hawkins conducts research on therapeutic modalities. Hawkins has been known to hit people with a tennis ball to create a bruise (with proper institutional board approval of course) so that he can treat them in different ways. "There is so much that we do not know about the injury process in humans," he said, and that is the area in which most of his research questions are centered.
In addition to studying therapeutic modalities, Hawkins is interested in the educational process for athletic training. The profession of athletic training is ever changing and Hawkins said he is always looking for new ways to keep the Colorado Mesa University Athletic Training students on the forefront of those changes.
