Facilities | Exercise and Sport Science

The classroom and teaching facilities located in Fetzer Hall, Woollen Gymnasium, and the Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center are large and newly renovated to be state-of-the art technological instructional facilities. The Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center serves a dual role as both a clinical facility and a laboratory teaching facility.

Cadaver Anatomy Laboratory

The Cadaver Anatomy Laboratory located in Fetzer Hall provides for an excellent learning environment for both graduate and undergraduate students. The laboratory houses two cadavers throughout the academic year. The graduate class (EXSS 732) begins dissection of the cadavers in August and completes dissection in December. An undergraduate advanced anatomy lab (EXSS 275L) runs concurrently (same semester) with the graduate class. The cadavers are again used during the Spring semester for the undergraduate anatomy class (EXSS 175). To our knowledge, our department is one of only a few Exercise and Sport Science Departments nationally that has a lab of this nature housed directly within the department.

Athletic Training Clinics

Students in the Athletic Training specialization may be assigned to work clinically in one of four athletic training facilities staffed by the Division of Sports Medicine. An athletic training clinic located in Kenan Stadium is well equipped to service the football program, while the Smith Center athletic training clinic is well equipped to service men’s basketball and the swimming program. The physical therapy clinic, renovated in 2006, in the Campus Health Service is used not only to treat student-athlete’s but also serves as a physical therapy treatment facility for students, faculty and the community. The new state of the art Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center opened in the Spring or 2010 and is used to treat the remaining 24 Olympic Sport teams. All facilities are extremely well-equipped with variety of treatment tables, therapeutic modalities and other equipment.

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Library Resources and Instructional Aids

We are fortunate to be at a Research I University that is interested in taking a leadership role in advancing learning through the overwhelming availability and accessibility of technology and information currently offered on the internet. It is also true that the existing library holdings for the Athletic Training specialization are excellent. Therefore, we have either direct or web access to essentially all professional texts and journals related to our field.

Sports Medicine Research Laboratory

The Sports Medicine Research Laboratory (SMRL) in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science opened its doors in July 1996, and joined efforts with the Department of Orthopaedics and the Curriculum in Human Movement Science (Department of Allied Health Sciences) for collaborative research in January 1999. In 2010 the SMRL was expanded and the new 2500 sq.ft. facility, located on the ground floor of Fetzer Hall, is used by faculty, graduate students, residents, fellows, and undergraduate students in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Department of Orthopaedics, and Division of Physical Therapy.

The mission of the laboratory is to advance the field of Sports Medicine and Athletic Training through scientific inquiry that helps to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. Much of the research focuses on problems linked to the musculoskeletal, neurologic, and neuromuscular systems.

The laboratory is equipped with a Vicon optical motion analysis system, electromagnetic (Flock of Birds) motion analysis system, 4 Bertec forceplates, Delsys and Konigsberg EMG systems, Biodex System 3-Pro isokinetic dynamometer, Chatillion hand-held dynamometer, Biometrics electric goniometer, KT-1000 knee arthrometer, stiffness loading device, ankle perturbation platform, and the Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System. In addition there are 6 computer workstations for data processing and analysis.

Over the past several years, the laboratory has operated on support from both internal and external funding. Most recently, research grants have been secured in the following areas: sport-related concussion, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, functional ankle instability, balance in the elderly, osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease in retired football players, and muscle stiffness. Funding agencies have included The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), National Athletic Trainers’ Association – Research and Education Foundation (NATA-REF), National Football Player’s Association (NFLPA), Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF), and UNC-CH Injury Prevention Research Center.

For additional information, please contact Darin Padua, PhD, ATC at 919-843-5117 or dpadua@email.unc.edu.

Neuromuscular Research Laboratory

The Neuromuscular Research Laboratory (NRL) is a 1,700 ft2 research space in Fetzer Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The research agenda of this facility involves the investigation of neuromuscular and biomechanical factors associated with musculoskeletal function, including joint stability, muscle mechanics, neuromuscular control, and postural stability. The goals of these research efforts are the identification of modifiable risk factors for musculoskeletal injury and disease, and the development of novel strategies to reduce the risks of these maladies.

The Neuromuscular Research Laboratory contains motion analysis systems capable of assessing numerous aspects of musculoskeletal function and human movement. These systems feature electromagnetic motion capture systems interfaced with force plates and EMG amplifiers. The facility also features a diagnostic ultrasound system utilized for real-time imaging of musculoskeletal tissues and an electrical stimulator for eliciting peripheral neuromuscular responses. Other equipment items include accelerometers, load cells, electrogoniometers, and hand-held dynamometers. This facility also includes office space equipped with multiple computers for use by graduate students and faculty.

For additional information contact Troy Blackburn, PhD, ATC at 919-843-2021 or at troyb@email.unc.edu

Matthew Gfeller Brain Injury Research Center

The Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center is housed in a newly renovated 1,200 sq. ft. facility on the top floor of the Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center. Its mission is to improve the prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of sport-related traumatic brain injuries through research, education, and clinical practice. It is a state-of-the-art center of excellence for treating athletes suffering from sport-related concussion. This dedicated clinical research space offers state-of-the-art balance assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and other neurological evaluations. The close proximity to the main floor of the UNC Athletic Training Clinic in Stallings-Evans is ideal for treating collegiate athletes, as well as recreational and high school athletes from the surrounding communities. Through our clinical and research initiatives, the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center demonstrates its commitment to providing the highest level of care for athletes of all ages suffering from sport-related brain injuries, and to assist parents, coaches, and medical professionals in managing these student-athletes.

For additional information contact Jason Mihalik, PhD, ATC at 919-962-2573 or at jmihalik@email.unc.edu