Conferences and Presentations Spring 2026

Anna Bottino, PhD, assistant professor of Research and Exercise Science, presented “You guys are making people on the team really uncomfortable: Experiences of intra-team romantic relationships in collegiate women’s sport” at the Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium in Chicago, Ill., in March 2026. At the same symposium, Bottino co-presented a workshop titled “The stories we tell ourselves: Embodying theory as researchers and practitioners.” They also served as a panel moderator for a presentation titled “A joy-full conversation in community on fairness, embodiment, and the future of trans inclusion in sport.” That panel featured the co-authors of Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports.

Anna Bottino, PhD, assistant professor of Research and Exercise Science, was an invited panelist in the session “Separate but equal? Women-identifying athlete experiences, intersectionality, and college sport” at the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport in Seattle, Wash., in November 2025.

Korey L. Boyd, PhD, associate professor of Physical Education, presented “Voices in play: Integrating NAKHE scholars’ feedback to advance JEDI through game-based approaches” at the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education Conference in Nashville, Tenn., in January 2026. Boyd and Mara Simon, EdD, associate professor of Physical Education and Health Education, co-presented “Teaching ‘equity’ in PETE: Combining theory, research, and practice towards socially and critically conscious teacher education” at the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., in May 2025. 

Debra L. Burnett, PhD, associate professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and interim dean of the School of Health Sciences, co-presented “Planning for impact: A framework for inter-professional space planning” at the Society for College and University Planning 2026 North Atlantic Regional Conference in Hartford, Conn., in March 2026.

Angela A. Campbell, DPT, professor of Physical Therapy, co-presented “The way to a woman's heart is with science and sex-specific interventions” at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in February 2026. 

Minseok Cho, PhD, assistant professor of Sport Management, presented “Whistle, replay, and flow: How officiating technology shapes soccer fans’ game experience” at the Applied Sport Management Association Conference in Philadelphia, Pa., in February 2026.

John Cipora, EdD, associate professor of Education and coordinator of Early Childhood Education, co-presented “Calling on community: Building paraprofessional-to-teacher pathways in Massachusetts” at the Massachusetts Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Spring Conference in Sturbridge, Mass., in March 2026. His co-presenter was Romie Robertson, EdM, co-executive director of Journey into Education & Teaching. 

Katherine Dugan, PhD, associate professor of Religious Studies/Humanities and Social Sciences, presented “The feminism(s) of natural family planning” at the American Catholic Historical Association in Chicago, Ill., in January 2026.

Melih Elcin, MD, assistant dean for Interprofessional Education in the School of Health Sciences, presented “Impact of a simulation-based training program in veterinary medicine on communication skills in telehealth applications” at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare in Orlando, Fla., in January 2026.

Melih Elcin, MD, assistant dean for Interprofessional Education in the School of Health Sciences; Elizabeth Ann Alicea-Torres, OT, OTD, OTR/L, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy and doctoral capstone coordinator; and Andrea Coppola, OT, OTD, OTR/L, CHSE, former associate professor of Occupational Therapy, co-presented “Translating the experiences of home health occupational therapy practitioners & occupational therapy students to develop home-based simulations for occupational therapy education to promote aging in place” and “Use of simulation to prepare occupational therapy students to successfully complete home safety assessments with community-dwelling older adults” at the American Occupational Therapy Association Education Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November 2025.

Heather Gilmour, EdD, associate professor of Sport Management and Recreation and department chair, co-presented “Sport Management: Who and what are we? Leaning into your history in the changing sport management landscape” at the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation Annual Conference in February 2026.

Steven W. Groccia, PhD, associate professor of Physical Education, co-presented “More than a game: Purposeful teaching with tactical games model” at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Kansas City, Mo., in March 2026. His co-presenter was Courtney Quinn, a doctoral candidate in Physical Education (Graduate Class of 2027). Quinn is a teaching fellow and physical educator in the Chelmsford (Mass.) Public Schools. 

Sue Guyer, DPE, professor of Athletic Training and dean of the School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership, presented “Prevention and care of athletic injuries” on a webinar through the China Institute of Sports Science Conference, Beijing, China, in March 2026. 

Matt Mills, EdD, assistant professor of Athletic Training, presented “ATs are always teaching: Intentionally using active learning to improve patient outcomes and clinical learning” at the 78th Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Convention in Boston, Mass., in January 2026. At the same conference, Mills and co-authors Samantha Scott, PhD, assistant professor of Athletic Training, and Maggie Daingerfield, DPT, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, were the Professional Research Poster Presentation winners for their research titled “The impact of a concussion-focused interprofessional education module on athletic training and physical therapy student perceptions of collaborative practice.”

Susan Milstein, PhD, associate professor of Physical Education and Health Education, presented “Brains, burnout, and the bedroom: The overlooked link between sexual well-being and workplace wellness” at the 36th Annual Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., in March 2026. They also presented “From giggles to growth: Remembering your why when teaching sex ed” at the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance School Health Education Conference in Sturbridge, Mass., in January 2026. 

Michelle E. Moosbrugger, PhD, professor of Physical Education and Health Education and department chair, co-presented “Rethinking repetition: Dynamic physical education for all skill levels” at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Kansas City, Mo., in March 2026. Her co-presenters were Abby Hemstrought, Class of 2028 (Physical Education); Olivia Sevigny '25 (Physical Education and Health Education), Graduate Class of 2027, (Athletic Leadership); and Paul Rukavina, PhD, professor at Adelphi University. At the same conference, Moosbrugger co-presented “You got the right stuff! Designing task progressions to build students’ adaptability in physical education.”

Luke Pelton, PhD, assistant professor of Exercise Science, and Jamie Pelton, MS, assistant professor of Exercise Science, co-presented “A ‘marriage’ of measurements: Skeletal muscle vs. cardiac electrophysiology in clinical outcomes” at the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Springfield, Mass., in October 2025. 

Amanda M. Rodriguez, OTD, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy and undergraduate program coordinator, presented “The self-care syllabus: Using a wellness planner to promote psychological well-being in grad school” at the American Occupational Therapy Association Education Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November 2026.

Samantha Scott, PhD, assistant professor of Athletic Training, co-presented “Beyond the injury: Culturally responsive care for athletic trainers” at the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Convention in Boston, Mass., in January 2026.

Springfield College held a kickoff event on campus on April 1, 2026, to officially launch INSPIRARE Global, the International Network of Social Work Praxis & Innovation for Research, Advancing Scholarship, Rights, and Education. College participants included Laura Krishnan-Mackie, MSW, LICSW, PhD student in Educational Leadership; Effrosyni Kokaliari, PhD, LICSW, professor of Social Work; and Christine Tronnier, PhD, LICSW, LADC-1, associate professor of Social Work, Springfield College.

Daigo Yazawa, PhD, assistant professor of Sport Management, presented “Exploring the dimensionality of sports facility quality” at the Applied Sport Management Association Conference in Philadelphia, Pa., in February 2026.