Fabrizio Apodaca
Lecturer
Background
I am a certified athletic trainer and educator with over a decade of clinical experience in secondary school athletics and higher education. My professional background spans full-time clinical practice, program operations, and academic instruction, with a focus on improving the quality, equity, and sustainability of athletic healthcare systems. I currently work in secondary school athletics while teaching undergraduate athletic training and allied health courses, bridging real-world clinical practice with evidence-informed education.
Areas of Expertise
- Athletic healthcare delivery in secondary schools;\\Athletic trainer staffing models and workload analysis;\\Injury prevention and risk reduction strategies;\\Clinical education and professional socialization;\\Program evaluation and quality improvement;\\Inter-professional collaboration in sports medicine;\\Strength and conditioning for athletic populations
Research Interests
My research focuses on evaluating the structure, processes, and outcomes of athletic healthcare delivery in U.S. secondary schools. Using mixed-methods approaches, my work examines athletic trainer staffing sufficiency, stakeholder perceptions of care quality, and systemic factors that influence access to athletic healthcare. I am particularly interested in how organizational and socioeconomic contexts shape healthcare delivery and contribute to disparities across school settings. My long-term goal is to translate research findings into practical staffing frameworks and policy-informed recommendations that improve working conditions for athletic trainers and care quality for student-athletes.
