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Education at NATA 2026

Get ready for an exceptional educational experience designed to inform, challenge and inspire.

The 2026 NATA program features a dynamic mix of lectures, forums, interactive sessions and hands-on learning labs, all led by experts from across the profession and across the broader health care and sports performance communities.  

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From foundational skills to advanced clinical applications, you’ll find content tailored to every stage of your professional journey. 

The full educational program will be added soon as final details are confirmed. Check back regularly for updates. 

Hands–On Learning Opportunities 

At NATA 2026, we’re going beyond the screen and getting back to what athletic trainers do best — hands-on learning.

These sessions deliver the kind of skill-building you simply can’t replicate at home. Whether you’re practicing advanced techniques, experimenting with innovative tools or collaborating in real-time problem solving, you’ll leave ready to apply what you’ve learned immediately in the field. 

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Convention Tracks Are Back!

After debuting in 2025, Tracks return to help you dive deeper into key topics shaping the future of athletic training. 

Each curated track features a series of sessions designed to expand your expertise and connect you with leading voices across the profession and beyond.

Sleep is the ultimate performance enhancer, yet one of the most underutilized tools in athlete care. This Sleep Track brings together experts to explore the science, assessment and practical applications of sleep in sports medicine.

Together, these sessions will equip you with practical tools to evaluate, monitor and optimize sleep as part of a holistic approach to athlete recovery and performance.

 

Beyond the Tactical Nap: Sleep and Musculoskeletal Injury in the Military 

Examine how sleep quantity and quality influence injury risk, with insights drawn from military populations. Learn how simple screening tools can help identify athletes at higher risk and guide targeted interventions.

Leveraging Sleep for Optimal Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention 

Discover how sleep health affects performance, recovery, and overall well-being. This session translates current research into actionable strategies for integrating sleep-focused interventions into daily clinical practice. 

Sleep, Nutrition, and Technology: The Untapped Trinity of Recovery and Risk Reduction in Sports Medicine 

Explore the powerful intersection of sleep, nutrition, and technology — and how athletic trainers can use evidence-based approaches to improve sleep quality, reduce injury risk, and enhance readiness. 

Athletic trainers are increasingly expanding their reach beyond traditional settings, building businesses, consulting and creating new models of care. 

This Entrepreneurship Track will empower you to think differently about your skills, your career, and your impact on the profession.

Together, these sessions will challenge you to think boldly, embrace creativity and harness entrepreneurial strategies that elevate both your practice and the athletic training profession.

Entrepreneurship in Athletic Training: Exploring Business Opportunities for Athletic Trainers 

Discover the diverse business models available to athletic trainers, from private practice to consulting and performance centers. This session outlines key considerations, start-up essentials and strategies for turning your professional expertise into a thriving business. 

Practical Strategies for Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

Learn how to apply innovation principles to solve real-world problems in athletic training. Explore how to identify opportunities, manage risk and lead change within your organization or independent venture. 

Profit From Your Practice: Leveraging Experience for Innovative Career Growth 

Translate your clinical experience into professional value. This session focuses on career growth, monetizing your expertise and developing entrepreneurial mindsets that expand your influence and create new pathways within and beyond athletic training.

Athletic Director Day

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | Day 1

Pennsylvania Convention Center

A curated leadership experience for Athletic Trainers and Athletic Directors to align on safety, compliance, and institutional risk.
 
Overview & Purpose
Athletic healthcare and athletics administration are deeply interconnected. Athletic Directors (ADs) and Athletic Trainers (ATs) share responsibility for athlete safety, emergency preparedness, compliance, and institutional risk management.
 
Athletic Director Day is designed to bring ATs and ADs together for a shared Day 1 Convention experience, providing:
  • Aligned understanding of roles and responsibilities
  • Shared language around safety and decision-making
  • Practical tools to reduce institutional and legal risk
  • Stronger working relationships between clinical and administrative leaders
ATs are encouraged to personally invite their Athletic Director to join them for Day 1.
 
Value Proposition for Institutions
By attending Day 1 together, Athletic Trainers and Athletic Directors will return home with:
  • Clearer role alignment
  • Improved communication strategies
  • Reduced institutional and legal risk
  • Stronger partnership around athlete safety and compliance
 

Day 1 Experience at a Glance

9:00–10:00 AM

Exclusive Expo Hall Access

Certified Professionals & Athletic Directors Only

Athletic Directors and Certified Athletic Trainers receive early, limited-access entry to the Expo Hall to engage directly with vendors supporting:
  • Athlete safety and emergency preparedness
  • Risk mitigation and compliance solutions
  • Staffing, equipment, and technology for athletics programs
This hour is intentionally designed for high-value conversations without crowds.
 

10:00 AM–12:20 PM

Curated Education Sessions for Athletic Directors

ATs encouraged to attend alongside their AD
The following sessions have been intentionally curated based on relevance to administrative oversight, safety, compliance, and institutional risk. ADs may select sessions that best align with their program priorities.
 

10:00–10:55 AM

Recommended Sessions

Athletic Training Parallels with Public Health

Forum | Room 108A
Explores how athletic training functions as a component of public health, emphasizing population-level safety, prevention frameworks, and equity. Provides ADs with a systems-level view of the AT’s role in institutional health and risk mitigation.
Reimagining the Preparticipation Physical Evaluation:
 

A Call for Updated Screening Practices

Lecture | Room 113ABC
Addresses compliance gaps, interdisciplinary collaboration, and risk identification related to PPEs, mental health, sudden death, and orthopedic screening.
 

Motion as Medicine: Using Exercise as a Pain Management Modality

Lecture | Room 105AB
Highlights non-pharmacologic approaches to athlete care with implications for performance, safety, and long-term health outcomes.
 

10:00 AM–12:00 PM

Extended Learning Options (Optional)

Thursday Night Walk Through: Practicing Before the Emergency

Learning Lab | Room 122AB
Directly aligned with Emergency Action Plan (EAP) preparedness, rehearsal, and leadership response during emergencies.
 

HI-HO, HI-HO, It’s Off to Practice We Go: Enhancing Retention in Emergency and Sideline Care

Learning Lab | Room 120ABC
Focuses on maintaining readiness for rare but high-risk medical emergencies and reducing institutional exposure through skill retention.
 

11:25 AM–12:20 PM

Recommended Sessions

Legal and Ethical Implications of Technology in the Clinic and the Classroom

Interactive Lecture | Room 105AB
Addresses AI, documentation tools, privacy, consent, and ethical considerations—critical for AD oversight and institutional accountability.
 

Where Helmets Help—and Where They Don’t: A Discussion about Helmet and Headgear Use in Modern Sports

Forum | Room 108A
Examines equipment decisions, safety tradeoffs, media narratives, and cost-benefit considerations relevant to administrators.
 

Midday (Time TBD)

Press Conferences / Industry Briefings

Optional attendance for Athletic Directors and Athletic Trainers interested in:
  • National safety initiatives
  • Policy or legal updates
  • Media narratives impacting athletics and sports medicine

1:15–3:15 PM

Afternoon Education: Recommended AD Sessions

ADs may select one session per block based on institutional priorities.

 

1:15–2:10 PM (Choose One)

Return-to-Learn: What to Do for University and College Student-Athletes

Lecture | Room 105AB
Addresses legal, professional, and logistical barriers in concussion-related academic accommodations.
 

“Tales from the Pit”: High-Risk / HALO Cases in Sports Medicine

Lecture | Room 108B
Focuses on low-frequency, high-risk medical events with significant medicolegal implications.
 

Living the Dream (and the Reality): Managing Career Growth and Family Care in Athletic Training

Forum | Room 108A
Provides insight into AT retention, workforce sustainability, and institutional support strategies.
 

1:15–3:15 PM (Extended Options – Optional)

Enhancing Athletic Recovery: Practical Applications of Olympic Lifts in Rehabilitation

Learning Lab | Room 120ABC
Explores reconditioning phases that reduce reinjury risk and improve long-term athlete outcomes.
 

Post-Traumatic BPPV: Simplifying Assessment, Treatment, and Referral

Learning Lab | Room 121ABC
Addresses concussion-related vestibular conditions and interdisciplinary referral considerations.
 

2:40–3:35 PM

Policy, Risk & Recovery Focus

When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Regional Adaptation of WBGT Monitoring for School Athletics

Lecture | Room 113ABC
Highly relevant to heat policy compliance, regional variability, and institutional liability.
 

Sleep, Nutrition, and Technology: The Untapped Trinity of Recovery and Risk Reduction

Lecture | Room 105AB
Connects recovery science to injury reduction and performance outcomes across sport settings.
 

4:05–5:00 PM

Late Afternoon Sessions (Recommended)

Leveraging Sleep for Optimal Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention

Lecture | Room 113ABC
Aligns with NCAA and IOC guidance on sleep health, performance, and injury prevention.
 

The Continuum of Care: Bridging the Gap Between Rehab and Return to Athletic Performance

Interactive Lecture | Room 108B
Addresses decision-making at the intersection of medical clearance, performance readiness, and reinjury risk.
 

5:30–6:30 PM

Athletic Director & Athletic Trainer Happy Hour

Invitation-Only Reception

A dedicated space for:
  • Continued relationship-building
  • Peer connection
  • Reflection on the shared learning experience
 

7:00–9:00 PM

NATA Opening Reception

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)

Earn more CEUs than ever before, with more flexibility and more time to complete them! 

The 77th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo is expanding your opportunities to learn and earn. This year’s enhanced CEU structure is designed to reward engagement and offer unmatched flexibility for every attendee.

Important Notes

Attendees who participate in a session in person should not also claim CEUs for the on-demand version. As always, it is the responsibility of the attendee to report only hours spent in educational sessions.

Earn Up to 40 CEUs

In-Person Attendees: Earn up to 40 CEUs total: 15 in-person + 25 on-demand. On-Demand Only Attendees: Earn up to 25 CEUs through the on-demand platform. This represents a 5-CEU increase for on-demand learners compared to last year and more than double the CEU opportunities for in-person attendees.

Extended Access

The On-Demand event, in EducATe, will remain open through December 31, giving all attendees four months to complete their CEUs and maximize their educational investment.

Immediate Credit for On-Demand Sessions

New this year, on-demand learners will receive a statement of credit immediately upon completing each session. No waiting for a post-event CEU summary.

Sponsorship 

NATA thanks our event sponsors. In alignment with continuing education rules, our thanks and acknowledgement don’t infer endorsement or guarantees regarding effectiveness, quality or safety.


Conflict of Interest

In compliance with continuing education requirements, all presenters must disclose any financial or other associations with companies to which they have a direct link and/or financial relationship that is related to the topic/content of their presentation.


Disclaimer

It’s the athletic trainer’s responsibility to assure any techniques they perform are within the scope of their state practice acts. All material presented in this education program is made available for educational purposes only. This material isn’t intended to represent the only, or necessarily the best, methods or procedures appropriate for each situation discussed, but is intended to present an approach, view, statement or opinion of the authors or presenters that may be helpful or of interest to other practitioners. 

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