Christina Pastrana is a doctoral student in kinesiology under the mentorship of Associate Professor L. Colby Mangum in the Rehabilitation, Athletic Assessment, and Dynamic Imaging (READY) Lab. She earned her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and Master of Athletic Training degrees from UCF.
Pastrana is a certified and licensed athletic trainer. Her research interests are injury prevention and management strategies for dancers. As a former dancer and current certified athletic trainer, Pastrana hopes to bring awareness to the specialized needs of dancers in healthcare settings and promote equitable access for dancers to receive healthcare as compared to athletes in traditional sports settings. Her previous research has focused on barriers that athletic trainers face when providing healthcare to dancers. Pastrana hopes to continue conducting research that will help benefit both dancers receiving healthcare and healthcare providers when providing care to dance populations. In addition to research, Pastrana teaches an undergraduate course in kinesiology.
