The Ohio Valley Conference hosted its annual Student-Athlete Well-Being Summit on May 1 in Nashville.
The event, which dates back over a decade but was held for the first time in-person since 2020, brought medical professionals (athletic trainers, doctors, etc.) and administrators from OVC institutions together to discuss important topics as part of the holistic student-athlete approach.
The attendees were able to engage in group discussions and share best practices. The also heard from various presenters including:
• Dr. Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer and Professor of Neurological Surgery at the Vanderbilt Medical Center
• Lydia Bell, NCAA Director of Research and Policy
• Darryl Conway and Ed Strapp, Sports Medicine Emergency Management
• Dr. Laura Brown, UT Martin Professor and FAR (how sleep affects college student-athletes)
• Dr. Julie Baker, Tennessee Tech Professor, Interim Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies (student wellness initiative)
"This programming aligns with a primary goal of our strategic plan to support student-athlete well being and allows us to provide attendees from our member institutions with valuable information and resources to take back to campus," said OVC Associate Commissioner Greg Walter.
OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche added, "OVC institutions have long been committed to serving student-athletes but we always want to do more in the health and well-being space. When a young man or a young woman decides to go to an OVC institutions, it is more than just athletics. It is the complete commitment to their overall experience. We want to make sure OVC student-athletes have a whole and well-rounded experience while attending one of our schools."