With March being National Athletic Training Awareness Month, Emory Athletics would like to highlight several members of the Sports Medicine staff. The spotlight series continues with Holli Dawson, who joined the Emory staff in June of 2017 and works primarily with the Emory women’s soccer and track & field/cross country programs. She has also been assisting with the University’s contact tracing program during the COVID pandemic.

** What inspired you to become an athletic trainer?

I knew growing up I wanted to do something within athletics and had an opportunity to take sports medicine courses in high school. At the time, it was the best career path I could see for myself and have thrived ever since.

** What is the one thing you enjoy the most about your role?

Seeing athletes return to their sport is the most enjoyable, especially after significant injuries. Knowing that I am able to help them in any way to return to the sports they love is really rewarding.

** What would you say has been some of your most memorable moments from working at Emory or over the course of your career?

My most memorable moments include the 2019 women’s soccer season, specifically the trip to the NCAA tournament. Being able to observe and support that class achieve the goals they set in pre-season was so much fun.

** COVID has forced you to go above and beyond more than usual, can you describe some of your expanded job responsibilities that you have had during the pandemic?

Contact tracing. As a staff, we were able to assist student health providers with contacting positive cases and identifying potential close contacts within the Emory community to help stop the spread of COVID19.

** What is one of the most surprising part of being an athletic trainer?

Honestly, the most surprising part is how under-utilized as medical professionals we are. We have such a unique educational background that provides us with a broad spectrum of knowledge that allows athletic trainers to be assets in almost any field.

** What do you know now about athletic training that you would go back and tell your younger self?

To my younger self, take a deep breath and simply listen. It’s not about fixing the problem, it’s simply about change.