Kristen Couper Schellhase is the program director for the Athletic Training Program at the University of Central Florida. Previously, she was an associate athletic trainer at UCF working with the Softball and Track and Field Teams from 1999-2004. She has been an instructor with the program since 2000. She has a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from UCF, a Master of Education in Athletic Training from the University of Virginia, and an undergraduate degree in exercise science/athletic training from The Pennsylvania State University.
Before coming to UCF, Schellhase was the assistant athletic trainer at Coastal Carolina University, working with 18 Division I sports teams. While there, she became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and she supervised the student athletic trainer internship program and student athletic trainers’ organization.
Schellhase teaches several courses in the program, including Foundational Behaviors of AT I and II, Prevention of Injury and Illness in AT, Therapeutic Interventions in AT I and II, and Administration in AT I and II. She is also the primary advisor to the program’s students, and a former advisor of the Student Athletic Training Organization (SATO). She is the current advisor for the Gamma Iota chapter of Iota Tau Alpha (ITA), the National Academic Honor Society for the athletic training profession. Schellhase served as the athletic trainer to the U-21 Women’s Basketball National Team, traveling to France and Moscow for the World Championships. She is a 2007 recipient of the NACADA Outstanding New Faculty Advisor Award. She also received the 2005 ATAF College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year Award and a 2012 NACADA Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit Winner – Faculty Academic Advising Category.
Schellhase stays active as an athletic trainer by volunteering with Orange County Public Schools’ high schools and with the Magical Classic Gymnastics Meet (level 1- elite gymnastics).
Credentials
- EdD, Doctor of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Central Florida
- LAT, Licensed Athletic Trainer
- ATC, Certified Athletic Trainer
Research Interests
- Organization & Administration in Athletic Training
- AT Knowledge of Therapeutic Modalities
- AT Education
Athletic Training Program Prepares Students for Success, Present and Future
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Bill Sanders Named UCF Athletic Training Preceptor of the Month for February 2020
The student athletic trainers who get the opportunity to work with Bill Sanders have nothing but positive things to say about him. Encouraging. Energetic. Patient. Funny. Relatable. These are just...
Athletic Training Students Participate in Pro Bowl
Several athletic training students got first-hand experience working alongside athletic trainers from the National Football League during the 2020 Pro Bowl, in conjunction with AdventHealth, who served as the medical...
Jennifer and Matthew Laws are November’s Athletic Training Preceptors of the Month
We are excited to announce two Preceptors of the Month for November 2019 – Matthew and Jennifer Laws! Matt and Jennifer started dating in their teens. They were both accepted...
Schellhase, Ingersoll Receive Honors, Recognition from National Athletic Trainers’ Association
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association recently recognized Dean Christopher Ingersoll and Kristen Schellhase, associate lecturer and athletic training program director, during the organization’s convention in July. Schellhase received the Athletic...
Schellhase Travels to Colorado to Work with Olympic Teams, Athletes
Dean’s Fellow and Associate Lecturer Kristen Schellhase will join other healthcare providers for two weeks in March in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she will volunteer to work with athletes as...
Athletic Training Students Give Back, Gain Skills With Community Partners
First-year students in UCF’s Athletic Training Program take a clinical skills class where they learn functional knowledge of human anatomy, advanced taping and bracing skills, and clinical assessment of general medical conditions. The students...
Athletic Training Student Selected for State Leadership Position
Allison Newsome, a junior in UCF’s Athletic Training Program, was recently selected for the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida’s Student LEAPS Program for 2018-2019. Newsome is one of 10 students...
Schellhase and Saleh Assume New Leadership Positions
Kristen Schellhase, interim chair of the Department of Health Professions, has been appointed a Dean’s Fellow for the 2017-18 academic year, announced Dean Michael Frumkin. “Dr. Schellhase has done an...
Dr. Schellhase Goes to Washington
Athletic trainers gathered in June, 2016, for the annual National Athletic Trainers’ Association 67th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Baltimore, MD. The day before the Symposia began, hundreds of...