In Gratitude…

Dear Colleagues, Students, Alumni and Friends

As I fully make the transition to Vice Dean of the Doisy College of Health Sciences, I look back in gratitude on my role as Program Director for Athletic Training at Saint Louis University.

15 years ago, I had the privilege to move from staff, Head Athletic Trainer in Billiken Athletics, to faculty as Director of SLU’s new Master of Athletic Training Program in 2007.  The amount of support that my new colleagues provided in the College and the newly re-named Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training was amazing.  

Working to build the program during the 2007-2008 academic year I was asked to serve on teaching teams for SLU’s Center for Interprofessional Education and Research.  As a practicing AT for over 25 years, I had always valued the AT’s role on collaborative healthcare teams and in IPE found an area where I could grow professionally and have an impact in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

In 2008, our first cohort of 4 students in the MAT Class of 2010 arrived on campus along with new faculty and staff. I appreciate the leap of faith and trust they all placed in us to build a program and gain accreditation. We continued to grow in 2010, adding more students and colleagues as well as successfully earning CAATE accreditation which was renewed in 2015.  

What brings the most pride and satisfaction over this time was the opportunity to work closely with our students.  I appreciate the privilege to interact with our students when we first met when you were a prospective student; while at SLU as your teacher and mentor; and as a colleague as alumni.  

I am grateful to have found a place on your professional journey, some of you on the way to a career in Athletic Training, the profession we love, or some on your way to another profession.  I hope you take your foundation as “persons for others” in the Jesuit tradition and the lessons you learned in our program forward as you make a positive impact in your current and future roles.

I also want to particularly thank the leaders, mentors and friends at SLU who supported me on my path to Full Professor and this new opportunity. I look forward with confidence in our faculty and new leadership for the AT program, excited for its evolution and future growth.

It’s great to be Billiken!

With sincere thanks,

Twenty Years of Magis

On September 14, 2000, I began a new chapter on my personal and professional journey by taking a position as Head Athletic Trainer at Saint Louis University.  Leaving my hometown and moving our family to St. Louis was something I really did not think would ever happen.  However, I saw my career evolving towards academics and when, my colleague Dr. Mark Reinking informed me about an opening at SLU where I could continue my doctoral study on campus, I decided to pursue it.  Over the last 2 decades, our experience at SLU and in St. Louis community has far exceeded any of our expectations.

Though I attended Catholic grade school and high school, I did not know much about the Jesuits or Ignatian spirituality.  As I found out quickly here at SLU, any of our students who attended a Jesuit high school could speak about Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) "For the Greater Glory of God"; Cura Personalis "care for the person"; being a "person for others:; and seeing "God in all things".  The best thing about my time at SLU, is that I could not only soon say them, but I could LIVE them.  The Jesuits also speak of the "Magis", latin for "more". It has many interpretations, but to me it is a reminder that we must constantly be reflective and look beyond ourselves to understand that we are a part of a wider interconnected community.  

I have encountered Magis in many ways in my last 20 years at SLU.  In my time as a staff member in athletics where, as an athletic trainer, saw the difference I could make in people's lives.  These opportunities often did not happen under the bright lights of an arena or stadium, but rather in moments of quiet when a person is in pain, grieving or feeling vulnerable.  Being present, authentic and worthy of their trust was often better medicine than a pill, bandage or some other physical agent.  

As a PhD student in Educational Leadership - Higher Education at SLU, I also encountered the Magis.  I saw it in the passion of my instructors and the wisdom and generosity of my committee Dr. Gerry Fowler, Dr. Mike Grady and Dr. Mike Ross.  I also appreciate the sacrifices my family made during this time to give me the space to engage in doctoral study while working full-time.  The subjects of my dissertation "The effect of student athlete recruitment, admissions and services in the success of intercollegiate men's basketball programs" were Head Men's Basketball Coaches at Jesuit universities from across the country, who graciously and honestly answered my interview questions.

Finally, as a faculty member at SLU, I have the opportunity to live the Magis and see it in our students and my colleagues.  I have been lucky to be guided by leaders such as Diana Carlin, Irma Ruebling, Mark Reinking, Tricia Austin, Charlotte Royeen and Mardell Wilson.  Working together with faculty colleagues Darcy Downey, Kitty Newsham, Tim Howell, Jason Bennett, Randy Richter, Bill Siler and Mike Markee, we have developed a program that not only pursues excellence for our profession but also lives the mission to enrich the lives of our students and community.  With the help of Kemba Noel-London and a grant from the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee, we have been able to impact the lives of our neighbors through the Roosevelt HS AT Club. 

I found an area of passion in Interprofessional Collaboration which has fueled my teaching, service and scholarship and made possible collaborations with friends and colleagues Katie Eliot, Ginge Kettenbach, David Pole, Katie Sniffen and Leslie Hinyard.  This opportunity has built bridges professionally nationally and internationally through the NATA, ASAHP, IPEC, AIHC, NAP, WFATT, IPR.Global, ASAE, Alpha Eta, the Interprofessional Research Collaborative and the Journal of Interprofessional Care. 

Last, but not least, I am so proud of how SLU has embraced my family.  Coming to a new city with children at a very young age, we felt welcomed by athletics staff and student-athletes.  Moments such as traveling with my wife Jacque to basketball and volleyball tournaments to connections made between students and my daughters.  Two of my daughters are Jesuit educated, including my youngest playing softball and graduating from SLU in 2019.  When my mother passed away last year, the support of the SLU community was so important to our family.

This spring I had the privilege of being inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the National Jesuit Honor Society. However, the Magis goes far beyond reflecting on your accomplishments and experiences it looks ahead to the your next opportunity to impact the lives of others.  I can only hope my next 20 years will be as special as my last 20 years at SLU.

August 2019 – My Most Memorable Month!

This has been quite a year personally and professionally!  It has been filled with highs and lows, but I must say that August of 2019 has been an incredibly memorable month!

#missyoumom
The month started over the last weekend of July, when we returned home for a Celebration of Life for my mother Rose Ann Breitbach who passed away in the Spring after a long struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  My mother worked as a nurse in my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa and she touched so many lives.  The outpouring of support from family and friends who shared the event with us was a testament to mom’s impact on others.  Her spirit will live on in our lives as we continue to show her love, faith, humor and intellectual curiosity in our lives!

CAE Commission
During the Summer, I was nominated for a unique opportunity to serve as the Public Member of the CAE Commission of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).  “The Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential is the marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.” (https://www.asaecenter.org/) Our first CAE Commission meeting took place at the ASAE Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio on August 10-13, 2019.  I was amazed by how I was welcomed in by an amazing group of association leaders and I look forward to helping the Commission work to serve its members and their communities!

Promotion to Full Professor
During the month, my promotion to Full Professor at Saint Louis University became official.  Academics has been my “second career” after working 22 years clinically as an athletic trainer. I am humbled to have this honor and I owe a debt of gratitude to many mentors, peers and all the students who have made this possible over the past 12 years as a faculty member at SLU.

Nexus Summit
The Nexus Summit is an Annual Conference hosted by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This year’s Nexus Summit was held over August 18-20th and it was dedicated to “recognizing a shared goal of improving learning and performance in practice, Nexus Summit 2019 (provided) the venue and framework, utilizing principles of design thinking, to tackle wicked problems while seizing new opportunities.” (https://summit2019.nexusipe.org/)

I was invited to participate as a keynote speaker in the Opening Plenary: “The World Conversation Café - From Conversation Café to World Café: Moving from Ideas to Action” with colleagues Patricia A. Cuff, MS, MPH, Joseph Zorek, PharmD, BCGP, Morgan Passiment, MS and Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, DSc (Hon.), FCCP. (https://summit2019.nexusipe.org/schedule-events/plenary-world-conversation-cafe-conversation-cafe-world-cafe-moving-ideas-action)

It was an incredible experience to conduct an interactive session where attendees learned more about three landmark reports from the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC), the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE) and the National Academy of Medicine Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professions Education and were given the opportunity to react to their recommendations!

AIHC Advisory Board
At the Nexus Summit 2019, we also had the first face-to-face meeting of the Advisory Board of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC).  I was invited to serve on the AIHC Advisory Board over the summer and continue to serve as a Co-Chair of the AIHC Program Committee.  It is a great opportunity to serve with such great colleagues who are dedicated to interprofessional education and collaborative practice to improve health and the healthcare system. (https://aihc-us.org/)

SLU Convocation
Each academic year at SLU kicks off with University Convocation at Chaifetz Arena.  This year, I was honored to be invited to take part in Convocation by making a declaration of what SLU’s mission means to me as a faculty member.  My statement: “As health professionals learning together in the Jesuit tradition; we share a higher purpose of person-centered care, clinical excellence and interprofessional collaboration to enable a greater good of health, wellness and social justice for individuals, communities and society”. Go Billikens!

MissingLogic Podcast
I have had the opportunity to work over the past few years with my colleagues Tracy Christopherson and Michelle Troseth from MissingLogicLLC  and learn about Polarity ThinkingTM in healthcare.  On August 28th I was invited to join them on their podcast to discuss emerging trends in interprofessional education and collaborative practice.  Michelle and Tracy are high-energy health professionals that are committed to system improvement for individuals and society through a new and innovative “Polarity Lens”. (https://www.missinglogic.com/)  The podcast is due for release in October.

Looking back at this past month, I am so grateful for the people and the opportunities in my life.
There are even better moments and achievements ahead!