The Kenny Howard Fellowship Program is a non-profit 501(c)(3) which represents a joint venture of Auburn University, (the Departments of Kinesiology and Curriculum and Teaching), East Alabama Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, East Alabama Medical Center, and RehabWorks Physical Rehabilitation. The purpose of the program is to educate certified athletic trainers (ATCs) and to provide health care to adolescent and pediatric athletes.

The largest need for certified athletic trainers is in the high schools where more than 6 million student-athletes participate in sporting activities. This program offers ATCs the opportunity to further their education and to help meet the specific needs of this population. The ATCs are provided a unique opportunity to set up and develop their own program at the school, while working with student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and parents, to meet the needs of the high school setting.

Another benefit to having certified athletic trainers present in the high schools is the availability of assistance in creating athletic training school modules. Many high school students are interested in a sports medicine career (i.e., athletic training, physical therapy, sports medicine). We are able to develop programs within the school, where high school students can act as assistants to the ATCs. This further augments the athletic trainers’ educational experiences and benefits those students interested in the health care profession.

Graduates of the Kenny Howard Fellowship Program have been successful in obtaining jobs at the high school, university/college, professional and clinical levels throughout Alabama and the United States