Nate Breske & Denny Kellington

8:40 to 9:25 a.m. Thursday, June 22

The world saw athletic training in action firsthand when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the Jan. 2 NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

During the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo, Buffalo Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske, DPT, ATC, and assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, ATC, will share insight into the incident as well as celebrate the athletic training profession and the resiliency of athletic trainers.

You won’t want to miss this inspirational discussion!*

*Keynote event will be in person only

Nate Breske, DPT, ATC, serves as the head athletic trainer for the Buffalo Bills.

Since being hired by the Bills in 2018, Breske and his athletic training staff have been highly ranked in the NFL in terms of least number of games missed due to injury. As a result, the Bills have also ranked high in performance on the field as they have earned a playoff berth in four consecutive seasons.

Breske also played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping the Bills organization manage through the protocols set forth by the NFL.

Breske was an integral member of the medical team that revived Bills safety Damar Hamlin during the Jan. 2 Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati. After Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, Breske and the medical staff took quick action, performed CPR and prevented a tragic outcome.

Before joining the Bills, Breske was the head athletic trainer with the Chicago Bears for three seasons. He also spent seven years with the San Francisco 49ers and was an intern for the New England Patriots.

Breske earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern State University, where he played football, and his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Denny Kellington, ATC, currently serves as the assistant athletic trainer with the Buffalo Bills organization.

Prior to moving to Buffalo, New York, Kellington was at Syracuse University for 12 years, starting as an assistant athletic trainer and eventually assuming the role of head football athletic trainer. He earned his Masters in Sports and Exercise Science at The Ohio State University and his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University. 

Kellington was an integral member of the medical team that saved Bills safety Damar Hamlin during the Jan. 2 Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati. Given the incredible job done by the Bills sports medicine team, there has been a spotlight cast on the entire industry. The medical staff has also been recognized by the Bills and across the NFL for their heroic actions to save Hamlin’s life.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul awarded Kellington and the entire Buffalo Bills medical staff the Executive Chamber- Special Citation on March 29. Additionally, the New York State Senate and Assembly awarded the group a Legislation Resolution. Kellington and his fellow staff members were also honored with the 2023 PFATS Presidents Award.

Kellington has served the New York Athletic Trainers’ Association and Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Medicine Association and is an active member of Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society. Recently, he has presented on a variety of topics around the country ranging from case studies to emergency preparedness.

Lisa Salters is a versatile and accomplished reporter with more than three decades of experience. Currently, she is a sideline reporter for two of ESPN’s biggest sports properties – the NFL’s Monday Night Football and NBA games on ESPN and ABC, where she works ESPN’s Super Wild Card game and the NBA Finals each year. She is also the co-host of the company’s award-winning E60 film and documentary series.

In 2023, she earned the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Reporter. 

Salters was named the sideline reporter for MNF in April 2012 and is now the longest-tenured sideline reporter in MNF history. Salters has been part of NBA coverage on ESPN and ABC since 2005. In the regular season, her role includes the high-profile NBA Saturday Primetime and NBA Sunday Showcase games. 

Salters originally joined ESPN as a general assignment reporter in March 2000. Prior to her current NFL and NBA assignments, she was the sideline reporter for ABC’s Saturday Night Football college football games for five seasons (2006-10).

Beyond covering high-profile events, Salters is co-host of ESPN’s acclaimed E:60 series alongside Jeremy Schaap. She helped launch the series in 2007 as a featured correspondent before her promotion to co-host in 2019.

Before arriving at ESPN, Salters worked for ABC News from 1995-2000. Based in Los Angeles, she was named the first West Coast correspondent for the ABC affiliate news service, NewsOne, in February 1995. She covered the O.J. Simpson civil and criminal trials, the Oklahoma City bombing trials, the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and the crash of TWA flight 800, among other major stories for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and other ABC News outlets.

A native of King of Prussia, Pa., Salters graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.