GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference will conduct a Health and Safety Summit in partnership with the ACC Sports Medicine Association, May 2-3, at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina. The two-day summit will provide an opportunity for athletic trainers, team physicians, nutritionists, mental health practitioners, sports performance coaches, and others within the ACC’s health and sports performance community to collaborate and share best practices.
The summit features a mix of keynote speakers, breakout sessions and practitioner meetings. Attendees representing all ACC institutions are registered.
This year’s program builds off the momentum of the ACC Mental Health Summit, which was first conducted in 2019 in Durham, North Carolina, and then held virtually the last two years. Based on the success of those events, the ACC expanded the scope of this year’s summit to include a variety of health care professionals and a broad range of topics.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes continues to be a significant priority for the ACC and our 15 member institutions,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “This summit is a comprehensive program that addresses key issues affecting our student-athletes and provides meaningful input and dialog from many of the most respected healthcare professionals in college athletics. Having our membership come together and work tirelessly in these areas is incredibly important, and we are proud of the difference it will make for our student-athletes, institutions and communities.”
Keynote speakers include Dr. Thomas Dompier, Dr. LaTisha Bader, Dr. Doug Aukerman and Dr. Cameron Wolfe with sessions focusing on injury surveillance, drug testing and suicide prevention, among others.
The ACC Health & Safety Summit is another program that demonstrates the league’s commitment to serving the student-athlete. In November, the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 announced a joint initiative entitled “Teammates for Mental Health,” to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and wellness among their more than 27,000 student athletes. All three conferences continue to dedicate resources toward mental health, including the creation of dedicated task forces and cabinets comprised of mental health professionals on campuses at the 41 world-class institutions that comprise the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12. The Alliance’s Teammates for Mental Health initiative included a public service announcement (PSA) featuring women’s and men’s basketball head coaches and the commissioners from all three conferences.
The ACC formed a mental health working group in 2018 to provide recommendations for mental health support and education at each of its 15 member institutions. The following year, the league hosted its first ACC Mental Health and Wellness Summit, which focused on best practices for integrative care and strategies to break the stigma surrounding mental health. Guest speakers included Kym and Mark Hilinski of Hilinski’s Hope and former WNBA No. 1 draft pick Chamique Holdsclaw.
In 2020, the conference distributed a series of videos and educational materials throughout Mental Health Awareness Month (May) and held two virtual QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) workshops on suicide prevention.
In 2021, the conference held a virtual summit that addressed the affects and takeaways from navigating a pandemic and a year of social unrest. The ACC also provides the Calm meditation app to all student-athletes, coaches, and staff members for additional support.