OVERVIEW OF ATHLETIC TRAINING SERVICES
The Point Park athletic department employs certified athletic trainers who are affiliated with UPMC Sports Medicine, which has the largest staff of certified athletic trainers in the Pittsburgh area.
Certified athletic trainers Kristin Baker and Jon Birchok are stationed in the Point Park athletic department, and they work with the Pioneers' athletes on a daily basis. Point Park's athletic trainers staff every home event and nearly every practice session.
Point Park's team physician is Dr. Tanya J. Hagan, MD. She advises Baker and Birchok in matters that require the expertise of a physician, and Dr. Hagan is also affiliated with UPMC Sports Medicine.
In addition to athletic trainers and physicians, every Point Park athlete has access to UPMC Sports Medicine's team of experts. UPMC Sports Medicine offers an extensive list of programs and services that allow athletes to reach peak performance.
Those services include access to nutritionists and sport psychologists in addition to services related to sport-specific assessment and enhancement, injury prevention, rehabilitation and concussion management. UPMC Sports Medicine's ImPACT concussion management center is stationed in Pittsburgh.
As part of the partnership with UPMC Sports Medicine, Point Park athletes have access to important technologies like X-Rays and MRIs at various UPMC facilities.
Point Park athletic trainers conduct preseason physicals at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex South Side, which serves as a training facility for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Facts about UPMC Sports Medicine
The staff at UPMC Sports Medicine is responsible for providing athletic training services for nine universities and nearly 50 high schools in the Pittsburgh area. UPMC Sports Medicine has offered a complete range of athletic training services to western Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. It focuses not only on rehabilitation, but on injury prevention and performance development of athletes.
Athletic trainer biographies
Kristin Baker, ATC
Kristin Baker is in her third year as an athletic trainer at Point Park and her 18th year as a certified athletic trainer. After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1991 with a degree in athletic training, she became a certified athletic trainer in 1992. During her career, Baker's experience includes service with Med Central Health Systems, Baldwin-Wallace College and Mansfield Senior High School.
Jon Birchok, ATC
Jon Birchok is in his third year as an athletic trainer at Point Park, and his third year as a certified athletic trainer. After graduating from Duquesne University in 2007 with a degree in athletic training, he became a certified athletic trainer in the summer of 2007. Birchok has experience as a student-athletic trainer for Duquesne men's basketball, Robert Morris University and local high schools such as Fox Chapel, Bethel Park and Shady Side Academy. He is involved on a committee that is organizing a student athletic training seminar to educate high school students about athletic training.
Information for Visiting Teams
Teams that visit Point Park for athletic events will receive the following athletic-training services
- Certified athletic trainer on site
- Taping and stretching available prior start of game
- Ice will be available
- AED will be on site
- Water and cups will be provided
- Emergency response systems will be in place including access to EMS personnel and/or hospitals
Questions? Please contact our athletic trainers:
Kristin Baker, ATC
(412) 392-3816
bakerkm@upmc.edu
Jon Birchok, ATC
(412) 392-3816
birchokje@upmc.edu
