Athletic Trainers Strengthen Lawrenceville’s Circle of Student Care

Nearly every afternoon, Lawrenceville’s athletic training room in Tsai Field House is full: students moving between tables, stretching, checking in, or just stopping by between commitments for advice. Here, the Athletic Training Department does far more than respond when an athlete gets hurt. With leadership from Head Athletic Trainer Jason Larson, the department provides expertise in injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation for every student, along with game and practice coverage — all in coordination with a broad circle of medical professionals on and off campus.

The program operates under the direction of Lawrenceville’s Medical Director, Dr. David Bell, with nurse practitioners also closely involved in student care. “It’s really a circle of care,” Bell said, describing the way athletic trainers, medical staff, and outside specialists work together to support students. As part of that network, the department hosts a weekly on-campus orthopedic clinic with sports medicine specialist Dr. Nehi Patel. They also work with consulting orthopedic surgeons Dr. Tim Leddy ’87 and Dr. Jamie Monica who, along with Patel, are affiliated with University Orthopaedic Associates. They also provide students with direct access to other specialists when appropriate.

Athletic training itself has evolved into a master’s-level profession, reflecting the increasing clinical demands of the field. Larson said the work spans both clinical care and on-field support. During the day, the staff focuses on rehabilitation, treating students referred by the School’s Al Rashid Health and Wellness Center or outside physicians. In the afternoon, that work continues alongside coverage for varsity games, on-call support for practices and sub-varsity competitions, and travel with certain high-impact teams. Athletic trainers are physically present on the sidelines for most contact and high-intensity sports, while providing more flexible, on-call coverage for others, such as track and field.

The team includes Larson, athletic trainers Mike Goldenberg and Andrew Kukla, and part-time athletic trainer David Csillan. Both Goldenberg and Csillan are members of the National Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame, the highest honor in the athletic training profession. Larson emphasized that the department operates as a shared team. The staff also works with graduate student interns from the University of Delaware and Thomas Jefferson University.

The department offers a student athletic training aide program, led by Goldenberg. Each term, two to four students participate, learning skills such as CPR, first aid, stretching, and basic anatomy.

Varsity soccer player Prisha Vij ’27 has participated in the student athletic training aide program for two terms and hopes to pursue a career in orthopedics. She said she was drawn to the position after spending time in the training room rehabbing her own injury and wanting “to be able to give back to the community that’s helped me out so much.” The program, she added, offers a “good foundational level” — combining hands-on clinical exposure with the opportunity to build communication and interpersonal skills in a real-world setting.

In the role, Vij helps with stretching, exercises, and preparation, while also observing evaluations and learning how injuries are assessed and treated. She said the experience is especially valuable because “it’s much different from reading in a textbook than seeing it in real life.” Seeing classmates work through recovery — and ultimately return to play — is especially rewarding. “You can see a sparkle in their eyes,” she said. “It’s always comforting.”

That approach extends to student support. The training room is open daily at 8:30 a.m. In the fall and spring, Larson said, it typically closes around 7 p.m.; in the winter, staff may be on site until 10 p.m. to cover ice hockey practice. After school, the department may see 50 to 60 students for rehabilitation, stretching, taping, and other treatment.

Big Red varsity football quarterback Simon Fassberg ’27 has done both rehab and injury prevention with Lawrenceville’s athletic trainers. He said they were “super helpful” in making sure he could play safely after an injury, then heal completely with an intensive off-season rehab plan. “I was one hundred percent confident in their concern for me,” he said.

Larson said that relationship-building is just as important as the medical care itself.  Lawrenceville’s athletic trainers are faculty members who live on campus, eat in the dining halls, and see students in various settings throughout the day which helps earn their trust and confidence.

Girls’ varsity field hockey coach Lisa Ewanchyna said that connection “helps us on the field because that means that the kids are going to be actively seeking athletic trainers out as opposed to coming to a coach who doesn't have that training.”

Larson said that consistency—the daily presence, the familiarity, the trust—is what allows the department to do its best work.

“We’re not just seeing them when they’re hurt,” he said. “We’re seeing them all the time: as our advisees, at House check-in, [even] just walking by a kid at the dining hall salad bar and saying, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Is your ankle any better?’ They know we really care about them.”

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.