Dr. Bill Holcomb Earns 2018 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award

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Dr. Bill Holcomb

DAPHNE, Ala. – Dr. Bill Holcomb, professor and founding director of the Master of Athletic Training program in Mercer University’s College of Health Professions, recently was presented the 2018 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award by the United States Sports Academy.

Dr. Holcomb is an alumnus of the United States Sports Academy having earned a Master of Sports Science degree in sports medicine from the institution in 1988. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Berry College and a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Auburn University.

“The United States Sports Academy provided me with a great foundation for a career in sports medicine,” said Dr. Holcomb. “I am so proud to have received this award from my alma mater and humbled by the list of previous recipients.”

Dr. Holcomb has been a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist for more than 25 years. He is recognized as a fellow in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He was awarded the NSCA’s 2017 Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist of the Year award, given to an athletic trainer whose work and contributions have significantly impacted the field of sports medicine or rehabilitation for athletes.

The Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award, named in honor of the former Olympic athlete, international sports medicine scholar and director of the University of Kentucky Rehabilitation Center, is given annually to an individual for his or her contributions to the growth and development of sport medicine through practice and/or scholarly activity. The individual should exhibit a mastery of some aspect of sports medicine through practice or research, be well known in the sports medicine field and have an abiding belief in and practice of ethical behavior in pursuit of knowledge.

At Mercer, Dr. Holcomb’s primary teaching areas are in the assessment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. He has received several teaching awards, including being named the top university teacher at UNLV in 2010.

His primary research agenda has focused on determining more effective methods for the delivery of therapeutic modalities such as neuromuscular electrical stimulation and therapeutic ultrasound. He has written more than 60 scholarly publications and has presented his work widely over the last 25 years.

Dr. Holcomb has been active in service to the NATA and NSCA, and served as the liaison between the two organizations from 1997-2006. He served one term each on the NSCA’s Certification Commission and Board of Directors. He was awarded the NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2015.

The Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award is part of the Academy’s Awards of Sport, which each year honor a wide range of accomplishments in sport and serve as “A Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete,” in conjunction with the Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information, visit www.ussa.edu.

About the College of Health Professions

Mercer University’s College of Health Professions is composed of five disciplines: physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, clinical medical psychology, and athletic training. The College offers a doctoral-level physical therapy program, master’s-level physician assistant program, bachelor’s- and master’s-level public health programs, doctoral-level program in clinical medical psychology, and master’s-level athletic training program. The Department of Physical Therapy offers residencies in orthopaedic, neurologic and cardiovascular/pulmonary physical therapy; a fellowship in orthopaedic manual physical therapy; and an onsite clinic. Each program is housed in a department that provides students with comprehensive didactic courses taught by an extraordinary faculty and extensive clinical experience enhanced by outstanding service-learning opportunities. For more information, visit chp.mercer.edu.