UTA professor elected president of leading sports medicine organization
Matthew Brothers, an associate professor of kinesiology at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been elected president of the Texas chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, or TACSM, an organization that represents more than 70 occupations in the sports medicine field.
Brothers, who has been a TACSM member since 2003 and a board member, will serve as president-elect for the next year and be sworn in as president in late February or early March 2020. The TACSM has about 1,300 members, including faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, physicians and other professionals involved in sports medicine. The American College of Sports Medicine has 12 chapters, including one for the state of Texas, and more than 50,000 members from 90 countries.
Brothers, who also serves as the Department of Kinesiology’s associate chair of graduate programs in exercise science, said one of the many things he loves about the organization is its focus on students.
“The American College of Sports Medicine gives students opportunities to present research, findings and network with others,” he said.
Indeed, at TACSM’s recent conference in Fort Worth, UTA’s kinesiology students won numerous awards, including the President’s Cup, won by Sara Peper, an undergraduate. The President’s Cup is the top prize at the conference in the poster submission contest. Doctoral students Ben Young, Brandi Stephens and John Akins won first, second and third place, respectively, in the manuscript submission category. Rauchelle Richey, a master’s student, won third overall in the grant-writing category.
“There are lots of awards for the students,” Brothers said. “It’s a confidence builder for them. These are things they can put on their CVs. I’m going to try to continue to emphasize student involvement and participation in the organization.”
He added that an important role of the president is coordinating the annual regional conference. He is looking forward to helping organize the 2021 conference, which will be held on the UTA campus.
“The conference typically attracts about 800 people,” Brothers said. “It is an opportunity to get people from all over the state. So much has happened here at UTA in recent years. This is an opportunity to showcase some of these achievements. I am looking forward to showing the space in the SEIR building. I know that will make a great impression.”
David Keller, associate dean and chair of the Department of Kinesiology, said, “Dr. Brothers has provided considerable service and great leadership to TACSM over the years. This election is a great honor for him, our department, our college and UTA. In addition to the inspiring leadership that he will continue to provide the chapter and our department, I am looking forward to working closely with him as we plan our 2021 annual meeting. It will be a great opportunity to showcase the college, UTA and our faculty, staff and facilities.”
-- written by Lekan Oguntoyinbo