The 2016 GATA Annual Meeting and Symposium will be held April 15-17 2016 at the Hughston Foundation in Columbus, GA. This year’s symposium provides attendees important educational opportunities, business meeting, social (sponsored by host site), and young professionals networking event. 

Topics include lower extremity mechanics, current concepts on tendinopathy treatment, an updated perspective on the care of the spine injured athlete, and building an D1 football program from scratch. 

The program is intended to provide entry-level and experienced Athletic Trainers opportunities to learn new skills and techniques on a variety of sports medicine related topics, as well as gain knowledge on issues important to the practice of athletic healthcare. 

Learning objectives: 

Sessions are geared to cover injury recognition, prevention and wellness protection, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate and emergency care, rehabilitation and organizational and professional well-being.

Following this symposium attendees will be able:

• To evaluate lower extremity conditions and make recommendations for treatment and return-to-play protocols.
• Understand the care of the spine injured athlete and follow appropriate protocol for safe transfer
• Understand the complexities of developing a football program from scratch and be able create policies and procedures to allow a smooth transition into competition.
• Understand the difference between tendinopathy and tendinitis and develop an appropriate treatment plan for each pathology
• Recognize the effect of aerobic and anaerobic fatigue

Target Audience: All Athletic Trainers

Cancellation/refund policy: Cancellations must be in writing to qualify for refund and submitted to GATA Treasurer.  1. Cancellation request received two weeks prior to the start of the scheduled meeting = full refund minus $5 processing fee 2. Cancellation request received one week prior to start of scheduled meeting = 50% refund 3. Cancellation request received <7 days prior to start of the meeting = No refund. 

Identical CEU sessions will be presented by the Hughston Foundation for 4 EBP credits on April 15 and 17.  Attendance at EITHER Track I or Track II includes the EBP sessions as well as the 7.25 CEUs presented by GATA. Sign up for the option that works best for your schedule.  Attending an entire Track will include 11.25 CEUs.

Registration:  Discounted early registration rates start at $105 for certified members and $60 for students.  Day Passes for a single day's registration start at $55.  Early registration discounts end 4/8/16.