About Us

Sports Medicine Staff

Mario Ciocca, MD

Director of Sports Medicine, Medical Doctor

Dr. Mario Ciocca has served as a team physician at the University of North Carolina since 1996 and was appointed Director of Sports Medicine in January 2010. He is currently the head primary care physician for football, baseball, and men's soccer teams.

Dr. Ciocca earned a B.S. in biochemical engineering from Columbia University in 1989 where he was a member of the intercollegiate baseball team. He then received his MD in 1993 from New Jersey Medical School and completed his residency in internal medicine in 1996 and a sports medicine fellowship in 1998 at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Ciocca is board certified in internal medicine and has a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine. He is an active member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Ciocca is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Orthopedics at UNC and is involved with the lecturing of students and residents at the undergraduate school as well as the medical and nursing school. He has authored journal articles and book chapters on subjects including cardiac conditions, concussions, creatine, medications and supplements, psoriatic arthritis, pneumothorax, heterotopic ossification, and vascular conditions in athletes.

Dr. Ciocca and his wife Cindy have four children, Luke, Jack, Michael and Gabrielle.

Scott Oliaro

Associate Director of Sports Medicine

Scott Oliaro was named head athletic trainer and associate director of sports medicine in 2013. In addition to his role as the associate director, he also serves as the head athletic trainer for field hockey, men's and women's golf and softball teams.

Oliaro was hired in 1998 as a certified athletic trainer assisting with coverage for both the football and softball programs.  He served seven seasons as an sssistant football athletic trainer and two as the head athletic trainer for football.

Oliaro supervises the Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center and assists the education program as a lecturer for both the undergraduate and graduate athletic training programs. He has authored several articles in various medical journals, including the Journal of Athletic Training. Oliaro has presented a variety of topics at national, district and local levels. He is a Board Member for the College Athletic Trainers Society currently serving as their education program director. He is certified by the Titleist Performance Institute as a Certified Golf Fitness Professional.

Oliaro is a 1993 graduate of Cornell University, where he earned a B.S. in nutritional sciences. At Cornell he was a three-year football letterwinner, a two-time captain and a two-year Ivy League selection at tailback. A native of Lansing, Mich., Oliaro grew up in Burlington, Vt. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Oliaro Vermont's 42nd best athlete of all-time. Oliaro earned a Master's degree in athletic training from North Carolina in 1996 where he was also the Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for UNC Field Hockey, Tennis and Track and Field programs. Oliaro is a NATABOC certified athletic trainer and a member of the National Athletic Trainer's Association. In 1996, he worked the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Prior to coming to UNC, Scott spent two years as an assistant athletic trainer for The American University and the Washington Capitals. He and his wife, Jeri, reside in Chapel Hill with their daughter, Mia Katherine, and son, Tyler Michael.

Tony Baker

Orthopedic Cast Technician

Tony is originally from Colorado, he is married and has a son and a daughter.

His hobbies include soccer, fishing, boating, and wakeboarding. Tony has 2 Shelties and 2 cats.

 
 

Josh Berkowitz, MD

Originally from: Chapel Hill, NC  

Educational and Professional Experience: Medical Degree from UNC School of Medicine, dual-specialty residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics also at UNC. 

Family: Wife and son   

Hobbies/Sports: Dr. Berkowitz enjoys ultimate frisbee and being outside. 

Thomas Brickner, MD

Sports Physician

Tom Brickner, MD has been a team physician for the University of North Carolina since 1996. Brickner earned a B.S. degree in biochemistry through St. Joseph's College. He then attended medical school at the Medical College of Ohio and completed a residency in Family Practice at the Toledo Hospital in 1990.

After completing his residency, Brickner served five years in the US Navy, including over two years as chief physician and medical department head for the United States Antarctic Program. Following the Navy, he completed a fellowship in primary care sports medicine at the Northwest Ohio Center for Sports Medicine.

Dr. Brickner is board certified in Family Medicine, with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. He also has specialized training in diving and cold weather medicine. He currently serves as the head team physician for men's basketball, wrestling, tennis and golf, women's soccer, field hockey, crew, softball and gymnastics.

Dr. Brickner and his wife, Beth, have three children, Emily, Amanda and Ben.

Brendan Carr, PhD

Sports Psychologist bmcarr@email.unc.edu

Originally from: He is from High Point, NC.

Professional/Educational Background: He has an AB in Psychology and Exercise Sports Science from UNC-CH; a MS in Sport Psychology from UNC-G; a MEd in Professional Counseling from University of Georgia; and his PHD in Professional Counseling from University of Georgia.

Joined Campus Health: Fall 2019

Favorite Book and Movie: His favorite book is Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman and he enjoys the podcast Finding Mastery by Mike Gervais.

Pets: He has two greater Swiss mountain dogs, named Æsir and Odin.

Marc Davis

Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer

Marc Davis is the head athletic trainer and physical therapist for the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, a position he has held since the 1977-78 season. He has been a part of Tar Heel national championship teams in each of the last three decades.
Davis received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy from the University of North Carolina in 1974. After graduating from Carolina, he worked as a physical therapist at Danville Memorial Hospital in Danville, Va., from October 1974 to May 1975. He began his current tenure on the sports medicine staff at Carolina in July of 1975.
The 56-year-old Davis, a native of Wilmington, N.C., and alumnus of New Hanover High School, is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the National Athletic Trainers Association.
He was the recipient of the award for the outstanding physical therapist of the year for 1998 by the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association.
Davis' duties at Carolina consist of providing physical therapy and athletic training services to Carolina athletic teams. In addition to the men's basketball team, he also serves as head trainer for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams.
He also provides similar services to members of the general student body who are recommended to him by Student Health Service physicians.
Davis is married to the former Paula Gee. They have one daughter, Irma Consuelo.

Kelly Fleming

Athletic Trainer kellyef@email.unc.edu

Originally from:  Kelly is originally from Lilburn, Georgia.  

Professional/Educational Background: Kelly attended Gardner Webb University for her undergrad and she received her Master from the University of Alabama. She comes to us from the University of Florida where she was an Athletic Trainer.

Joined Campus Health: Summer 2018

Favorite Book/Movie: Her favorite movie is Remember the Titans and her favorite books are the Harry Potter and Divergent Series.

Hobbies/Sports:  She enjoys running marathons, hiking, watching football, and eating.

Pets: Kelly loves dogs and has one named Lady.

Interesting Facts: She ran in the Boston Marathon.

Bradley Hack, PhD

Sports Psychologist

Dr. Hack is the Sport Psychologist for the Athletic Department and has been a member of the Sports Medicine Team since 2001. He is originally from Detroit and earned his B.A. in psychology and economics from the University of Michigan and his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Michigan State University.
In addition to his work with student-athletes at Carolina, Dr. Hack has also counseled professional athletes from the NFL, NHL, WNBA, NASCAR, as well as members of the U.S. Olympic Team, in his private practice. He serves as a treating clinician for the NFL's substance abuse program.
Dr. Hack has been an active leader in professional organizations throughout his career. He was appointed to the Executive Committee for the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology (2002-2005) and also served as the Chair of the Education Committee for the Division. He was a primary author of the "Proficiency in Sport Psychology," which was adopted by APA in 2003 as the national standard for the education and training of sport psychologists. He was twice elected to the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Psychological Association (1998-2002), and received a presidential appointment as the Federal Advocacy Coordinator for NCPA (2004-2006). Dr. Hack also serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Clinical and Sport Psychology and was a contributing author for The Sport Psych Handbook (Murphy, 2005).
He and his wife, Cassie, have two kids, Rider and Skylar.

Alex Hall

Athletic Trainer ahall1@email.unc.edu

Originally from:  Alex is originally from Elgin, SC.  

Family: Alex has a Mom named Jennifer, a Stepfather named Rusty, her Dad is named Gary, her Stepmother is named Sally, and she has a Brother named Tyler.

Professional/Educational Background: She attended the University of South Carolina for her undergrad, did her internship at The Ohio State University, went to North Carolina State University for graduate school, and has worked at High Point University for the last two years.

Hobbies/Sports:  Alex enjoys hiking and being outside, Burn Bootcamp,  and trying new foods and breweries.
Books/ Movies/Podcasts: Her favorite Podcast is Up and Vanished.     
Interesting Fact: She traveled around the country with a Drum and Bugle Corp as an intern ATC.    

Doug Halverson

Staff Athletic Trainer sdhalverson@uncaa.unc.edu

Doug Halverson joined UNC’s Sports Medicine staff in 2005 and is currently serving as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Men’s Basketball and JV Basketball program.  He joined the men’s basketball staff in 2013 after spending 8 years working as a staff athletic trainer for the football (2007-2013), women's lacrosse (2005-2013), field hockey (2005-2007), and men's and women's golf (2006-2007) programs. Halverson returned to UNC after working at Georgia State University, where his primary responsibility was coverage of the women's basketball team and supervising graduate athletic trainers in coverage of spring sports (2004-2005).
Halverson is a 2002 graduate of UNC, where he earned a B.A. in Exercise and Sport Science with a specialization in Athletic Training. While serving as a student athletic trainer from 1999-2002, he worked with the women's soccer, volleyball, and track and field teams. He also served as the intern athletic trainer for the WUSA's Atlanta Beat in 2001 and 2002.
Following his undergraduate degree, Halverson continued his education at UNC, where he served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer, working mainly with the Tar Heel football and men's and women's tennis programs. He received a M.A. in Exercise and Sports Science - Athletic Training in 2004.
He has been an NATABOC Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) since 2002 and has been an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) since 2005. Halverson is a native of Winston-Salem and currently lives in Chapel Hill.

Chris Hirth

Staff Athletic Trainer, Physical Therapist

Chris Hirth is a full time Physical Therapist at Campus Health Sports Medicine. Prior to this role, he served as the head athletic trainer for men’s basketball at Carolina for 5 years, and has worked with UNC since 1996. In his tenure at UNC, Hirth has worked with the swimming and diving teams, men’s soccer, gymnastics, women’s lacrosse and track and field squads. He was the athletic trainer for the 2001 Tar Heel men’s soccer team that won the NCAA championship.

Hirth earned his BS in physical therapy from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1989 and a MS in human movement science from UNC in 1994.

Hirth is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the American Physical Therapy Association.

Hirth is a native of Milwaukee, Wis. He and his wife Anna, have a son, Blake.

Lauren Holt

Athletic Trainer lholt11@live.unc.edu

Originally from: She is from Granby, CT. 

Professional/Educational Background: She went Springfield College for undergraduate and then UNC-CH for her Master’s in Exercise Sports Science with a concentration in Athletic Training.

Joined Campus Health: Fall 2019

Hobbies/Sports: Lauren enjoys cooking & grilling, volleyball and biking.

Favorite Book and Movie: Her favorite book is the Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling.

Pets: She has two cats, Pumpkin and Phoenix.
Interesting Fact: In 2018 Lauren was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame.

 

Jane Honeycutt

Administrative Support Associate

Dan Hooker

Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer

Dan Hooker has served the University of North Carolina as an athletic trainer and physical therapist since 1972. He is presently the Associate Director of Sports Medicine. He has provided athletic training coverage for most of the Tar Heel sports teams and was the program director for the Graduate Athletic Training Curriculum from 1975-1979. Hooker earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Medical College of Virginia, 1967, Master of Science in Education from the University of Southern California, 1971, and his PhD in Education from Carolina in 1981. He has been an American Board of Physical Therapy Certified Sports Physical Therapy Specialist since 1987 and has served the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Medicine Association as President and as Secretary. He has contributed to several textbooks providing chapters on the rehabilitation of the spine, electrical modalities, compression devices, and traction. Hooker is involved in the research activities of the Exercise and Sports Science department providing consultation and data collection on a study of back pain in retired NFL players and consultation on several studies on concussions in football athletes. He received the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award in 2002.

Christian Hunt

Athletic Trainer

Christian Hunt joined the UNC Sports Medicine family as a staff member in Aug, 2018. His primary clinical responsibilities are with the men's soccer and men's tennis teams. He also serves as a clinical preceptor for the UNC graduate and undergraduate athletic training programs.

Hunt graduated from Brigham Young University in 2014, where he earned a B.S in Athletic Training. During his time as an undergraduate, he had the opportunity to complete a summer sports medicine internship at the Mid-Columbia Medical Center in Oregon.
After graduation, he worked for a year as the Head Athletic Trainer for the BYU club Ice Hockey team and was involved with the 2015 USATF Pan American Cross Country Championships in Barranquilla, Columbia as a medical staff member. Following this, Christian attained a M.A. in Exercise and Sports Science with a specialization in Athletic Training in 2017 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his graduate studies, he served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer working with the men's soccer and tennis programs, while also having the opportunity to travel to El Salvador with USATF for the NACAC Track and Field Championships in 2016.

After completing his graduate work, Hunt completed a one-year Athletic Training fellowship at the University of Michigan, where he had the primary medical responsibility for the women's rowing program. He also served as a clinical preceptor for athletic training students from Concordia and Adrian colleges.

He has been an NATABOC Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) since 2014 and a Performance Exercise Specialist (PES) since 2016.

Hunt lives in Carrboro with his wife Jennifer and their daughter Grace.

John J. “J.J.” Johnson V he/him/his

Athletic Trainer – Football John.Johnson@unc.edu

  • Originally from: Ashburn, VA
  • Family: Dad (John IV), Mom (Karen), sister (Kourtney)
  • Professional/Educational background: Undergraduate BS degree in Biology from Christopher Newport University – class of 2016. Graduate MS degree in Athletic Training from George Mason University class of 2019.
  • Hobbies: Played football in undergrad as free safety. Enjoys poker, taking his jeep on trails, working out, finding new food spots.
  • Work influence: My father. He has devoted so much of his life to his education with multiple degrees, with his highest being a PhD.
  • One thing most people don’t know: My first sport was horseback riding.

Karen Johnson she/her/hers

Alessa Lennon

Athletic Trainer alennon@email.unc.edu

Originally from:  Alessa is originally from Chapel Hill, NC.  

Professional/Educational Background: Alessa received her undergrad from Western Carolina University, went to grad school at UNC, and has been an Athletic Trainer at William and Mary for the last four years.  

Joined Campus Health: February 2019

Family: She has a brother named Jared and a sister named Rachel.   

Hobbies/Sports:  Alessa likes to play golf, even if she isn’t good at it.
Books and Movies: Her favorite book is Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.

Pets: She has a dog named Ranger.
Interesting Fact: Alessa hiked part of El Camino in Spain with her brother.

Janis Matson

Clinic Manager, Insurance Coordinator

Janis took charge of Sports Medicine administratively in summer 2008 after her predecessors (both with over thirty years of experience) retired. She has worked part-time for over thirty years with UNC Athletics Operations supervising the south side of the football stadium and the basketball court.  She was self employed for 20 years as a sports official, clinician and assignor of officials for high school and college volleyball and softball.

David Mincberg

Athletic Trainer mincberg@email.unc.edu

Originally from:  Madison, WI.

Professional/Educational Background: He completed his undergrad at the University of South Carolina, Masters at UNC, and he was in a fellowship at the University of Colorado before coming here.

Joined Campus Health: Summer 2017

Favorite Book/Movie: David’s favorite movie is Good Will Hunting.           

Hobbies/Sports:  He enjoys hiking, canoeing, and mountain biking.  

Interesting facts: David competed in Curling when in high school. 

Shannon Murphy

Athletic Trainer murphys1@email.unc.edu

Originally from:  She is from Baltimore, MD.

Professional/Educational Background: Shannon received her B.S. in Athletic Training from Duquesne University, her Ed.M. in Athletic Training from Boston University, and she was in an advanced post Athletic Trainer program at Stanford.

Joined Campus Health: Fall 2019

Family: Shannon’s family all live in Baltimore and one sister lives in New York City and she has one Golden Doodle named Cali.

Hobbies/Sports:  Shannon played Lacrosse at Duquesne but currently enjoys running, reading, and eating good food.
Books/ Movies/Podcasts: Her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, favorite move is The Sound of Music or anything Disney or Pixar.     

Interesting Fact: Shannon ran the Pittsburgh half marathon.  

 

Meredith Petschauer

Athletic Trainer mbusby@email.unc.edu

Meredith Petschauer, PhD, LAT, ATC is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and serves as the Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program Director.
Dr. Petschauer received her PhD from the University of North Carolina -Greensboro in Biomechanics, her Master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Athletic training and her bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
Dr. Petschauer teaches Biomechanics, Emergency Care of Injuries and Illness, General Medical Conditions in Athletes, and Therapeutic Exercise. In addition to her responsibilities with the athletic training program she is the Director of the Undergraduate Honors Program for EXSS and serves as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Women's Gymnastics team. Her research interests include prehospital care of the cervical spine injured athlete specifically considering lacrosse and ice hockey equipment.
She and her husband Greg have two children, Madison and Grant.

REMINGTON

Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Rehabilitative Facility Dog

REMINGTON is a Medical Alert Assistance Dog who works with Terri Jo Rucinski, coordinator of the physical therapy clinic and staff athletic trainer for the UNC Baseball Team. While Terri Jo is at work, REMINGTON works as a Rehabilitative Facility Dog with the Team, helping players who are recovering from injuries and who are patients at Campus Health. 

REMINGTON is part of a litter born June 13th, 2014 to paws4people®, Inc., a Wilmington, N.C. nonprofit organization that raises, trains and places Assistance Dogs with clients at no cost. The organization provides certification, insurance, and support for the client and dog for the duration of their career.

paws4people began REMINGTON's training when he was 3 days old. paws4people taught REMINGTON to have confience and be well mannered and social by 16 weeks old. In the paws4prisons program, based in 5 West Virginia Correctional Facilities, REMINGTON learned obedience and disabilities skills as well as over 100 commands, laser retrieval, and “reading” written commands from flash cards.

In summer 2016, REMINGTON underwent more than 80 hours of training with students in the UNCW/paws4people Assistance Dog Training Program and paws4people trainers. He passed a series of certification tests administered by paws4people before being placed with Terri Jo and joining the team in August 2016. 

REMINGTON assists with treatments, rehabilitation and emotional support for the athletes and is a source of joy for the team and the fans. You'll see him standing with the team and holding his hat or a glove during the National Anthem, carrying water to umpires and offering up fist bumps and high fives to players. Find REMINGTON on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

 

Luke Ross

Staff Athletic Trainer

Luke Ross joined the athletic training staff in 2013. He serves as a staff athletic trainer for football, fencing, and cheerleading. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from Boston University in 2006 and his Master's degree in Exercise and Sport Science - Athletic Training from UNC in 2008. While earning his Master's degree, Ross served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer, working mainly with the Tar Heel football and women's rowing programs.
Ross returns to UNC after spending four season's as the assistant athletic trainer for football at the University of Connecticut. Prior to his time at UConn, he also completed a year-long athletic training internship with the Carolina Panthers.
He is a proud NATABOC certified athletic trainer (ATC). Ross and his wife Megan reside in Durham.

Terri Jo Rucinski

Staff Athletic Trainer, Physical Therapist

Terri Jo Rucinski is the staff athletic trainer for the baseball team. In addition to her athletic training duties, Rucinski also serves as the supervisor of the Fetzer Athletic Training Room and is a staff physical therapist at the James A. Taylor Campus Health Service.
Rucinski also assists the education program as a lecturer for both the undergraduate and graduate athletic training programs, with emphasis on the prevention and rehabilitation of shoulder injuries. She has been involved with the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers for the past 18 years and has served on several examination development committees.
Rucinski received her B.S. in physical education teaching and athletic training from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 1987. She went on to receive her M.A. in exercise and sport science with specialization in athletic training from UNC in 1989. Rucinski worked in Milwaukee, Wisc., at Froedtert Sports Medicine until she returned to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, in 1994, to pursue her physical therapy degree.
She received her B.S. in physical therapy in 1996. She is also a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, receiving her certification in 1998. Prior to Rucinski's return to UNC, she worked in Madison Wisconsin, at the UW-Health Sports Medicine Physical Therapy Clinic and was also the head athletic trainer at Madison Area Technical College.

Jodi Schneider

Athletic Trainer jodis@email.unc.edu

Originally from: Jodi is originally from Cleveland, OH.

Joined Campus Health: Fall 2020

Professional/Educational Background: Jodi got her B.S. from Michigan State and M.S. from Oregon.

Family: Her family includes her dad (Cletus), mom (Rhonda), and brothers (Al and Chris).

Hobbies/Sports: She likes disc golf, bar trivia, and cooking.

Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach work? Jodi has been influenced by every colleague, student-athlete, and coach that she has been fortunate to work with.

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? She is proud of this job. It is like the Yankees of College Sports Medicine!  

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? Jodi has lived in both states that you could not pump your own gas (Oregon and NJ).

Jeni Shannon, PhD

Clinical Sports Psychologist sportpsy@email.unc.edu

Originally from: Phoenix, AZ.  

Educational and Professional Experience: She is a Licensed Sports Psychologist with a B.A. from University of Arizona and a M.Ed., Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.  

Joined Campus Health: Spring 2017

Family: Jeni has a husband named Eric and a son named Oliver.

Favorite Book/Movie: Her favorite movie is Forrest Gump.

Hobbies/Sports: Jeni likes yoga and running/triathlons.  

Pets: She has two dogs, both of which are German Shepherds.

Interesting Facts: All of her nieces and nephews live in Australia/New Zealand. Jeni has a goal of visiting all the National Parks, and in fact she will be running a half marathon in the Shenandoah National Park this Spring.

Naima Stennett, MD

Sports Medicine Physician

Originally from:  Kingston, Jamaica   Joined Campus Health: August 2021Professional/Educational Background: Received Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at North Carolina Central University. Dr. Stennett completed medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University  and completed family medicine residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami. She went on to complete her fellowship in Sports Medicine at UNC at Chapel Hill.Special professional interests: Exercise is medicine.Hobbies/Sports:  Dr. Stennett enjoys reading, cycling, volleyball,  traveling, cooking, DIY projects, modeling,   Arts and music, traveling and mentorship.Books and Movies: Her favorite book is Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John TowsendInteresting Fact: Dr. Stennett is a for volleyball player for the Jamaica National Women’s Volleyball Team and she hopes to start a club cycling team at North Carolina Central University. 

Kelly Waicus, MD

Kelly Waicus, MD has been a team physician at the University of North Carolina since 2005.

Originally from Moorestown, NJ, she received her undergraduate degree from Duke University followed by her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. After completing a residency in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, she returned to Chapel Hill for her Sports Medicine fellowship which she completed in 2001. She is board certified in Pediatrics and has a certificate of added qualification in Sports Medicine.

Dr. Waicus is the primary team physician for volleyball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, men's and women's fencing, and cheerleading.

She is married to Tom O'Connell and has two daughters, Kelsey and Caroline.

Nina Walker

Staff Athletic Trainer

Nina Walker, MA, ATC, LAT, has been a staff athletic trainer at Carolina since 2006. Her primary clinical responsibilities are with the men's lacrosse and men’s and women’s cross country/distance teams. She also serves as a clinical instructor for the UNC graduate and undergraduate athletic training programs. She is the director of the undergraduate observer program and currently lectures on topics related to manual therapy, electronic medical records and biofeedback.
Walker is a 1999 graduate of Boston University, where she earned a B.S in Athletic Training. Following her undergraduate degree, Walker attained a M.A. in Exercise and Sports Science with a specialization in Athletic Training in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer, working mainly with the Tar Heel volleyball and rowing programs.
Walker returns to UNC after working at Quinnipiac University in Hamden Connecticut. She served as the head athletic trainer for the men’s lacrosse and field hockey teams as well as an assistant adjunct professor in the Athletic Training and Sports Medicine program, teaching both Nutrition and Clinical Evaluation Lab.
She also volunteers for committees designed to promote the field of athletic training, such as the BOC Role Delineation Study Committee, NC Athletic Trainers Board of Directors. Her research interests include emergency management, lacrosse helmet removal and spineboarding. She also serves as Co-founder of the Lacrosse Athletic Trainers Society (LATS). She has a strong interest in manual therapy and has lectured nationally on Positional Release Therapy (PRT) and regionally on lacrosse helmet safety. She has also obtained Graston Technique M1 training.
She has been an NATABOC Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) since 1999 and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) 2004-2012. Walker is a New York native who currently resides in Durham, NC.

Cydnia Young, MSW

Athletics Mental Health Clinician cydnia.young@unc.edu

Joined Campus Health: June 2021

Originally From: Raleigh, NC

Professional Background: Cydnia attended Howard University, obtaining a BA in Criminal Justice. She then completed her MSW from the University of Southern California. Cydnia served for 8 years as a Army Officer/ Captain doing various jobs including Hazmat, HR, and Protocol.

Work Related Accomplishment: Cydnia wrote and landed her first grant in April for substance abuse programming. 

 

Latoya Taylor

Referral Coordinator

Kristen Hancock

Professional Nurse

Brandi Schwane

Athletic Trainer

Nate Miller

Athletic Trainer

Title: Staff Athletic Trainer

Originally from: Monroe, Michigan

Professional/Educational Background: Miller is a graduate of Central Michigan University in 2015, where he earned a B.S. in Athletic Training. In his last semester before graduation, Miller worked for Saint Joseph’s University as an athletic training intern in the fall of 2015 before joining the staff full-time as assistant athletic trainer in the spring of 2016.
During his six years spent at SJU he mainly worked with the men’s lacrosse and field hockey programs. While at SJU Miller then went on to obtain his M.S. in Sport Management focusing in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration in 2019 from California University of Pennsylvania.
Before coming to Chapel Hill, Miller spent the previous year at the University of Louisville working with its field hockey program.

Professional interests/focus areas: His interests include manual therapy techniques, post-operative rehabilitation and exertional heat illness.

Joined Campus Health: August 2022

Hobbies: golf, road biking, trying new food

Interesting Fact: I have been stung by a jellyfish 

Tony Cosby

Athletic Trainer

Mercedes Cunningham

Athletic Trainer

Jasper Chang

Athletic Trainer

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