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Saginaw Valley State University

December 20, 2017

SVSU student published for her research on injury, illness in marching band and color guard members

Alissa RhodeSaginaw Valley State University student Alissa Rhode, an athletic training major from Grosse Ile, recently learned that her determined research efforts will result in being published in a leading scholarly journal – a rare achievement for an undergraduate. Her article, “Injury and Illness in Marching Band and Color Guard Members and the Need for Athletic Trainers: A Critically Appraised Topic,” will appear in the Fall 2017 edition of the Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Science.‌
 
Rhode set out to determine the level of risk for student participants as well as the type of injuries most often sustained by collegiate and high school marching band and color guard members in order to ascertain if there is a need for medical coverage. Athletic trainers often are present to treat injuries to high school and college student-athletes, but such services typically do not extend to marching bands or color guards.
 
David Berry, SVSU professor of kinesiology, advised Rhode on her research.
 
“Alissa got the research and writing bug early and was offered the opportunity to take the lead on numerous research projects and took them,” Berry said. “It was this willingness to go above and beyond that resulted in her having her work published as a senior athletic training student.”
 
Rhode, currently a senior at SVSU, has also presented at several conferences across the U.S. including at the National Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting and Symposium in Houston and the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association in Wheeling, Illinois. Her work has also been acknowledged internationally as she presented at the 11th International Nursing Quality Management and Professional Development Conference in Guangzhou, China.
 
“If I had a word to describe her work ethic,” Berry said, “it would be ‘tenacity.’ Alissa truly does seek knowledge beyond the classroom in order to impact not only her professional career, but the patients she knows she will serve and be accountable to someday.”
                                                                                               
Rhode’s research was supported in part by a scholarship provided by the SVSU Faculty Association.
 
After graduation, Rhode plans to attend graduate school; she has been accepted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Ohio University.