ELON, N.C. - Several Elon University student-athletes are engaging in internships both locally and globally this summer. Internships provide significant professional experiences that enhance classroom knowledge and inform the career goals for student-athletes. Throughout this summer, we will feature Q&As with current student-athletes and their supervisors about their internships and what it means to get a chance to pursue their career aspirations locally.

Featured in today's edition is rising senior Katie Arbogast of the Elon University women's track and field team and her internship with Elon BrainCARE.
 
Q&A with Katie Arbogast (Women's Track and Field)

Question: What is your position with BrainCARE and what are your responsibilities during the internship?
 
Answer: I am head student researcher with Elon BrainCARE. I baseline test all the varsity athletes with multiple clinical tests such as the Standard Assessment of Concussion, Visual Convergence, King Devick and a balance test as well as monitoring their Impact Concussion test which is completed on the computer.

Question: How did you get the internship? What was the process?
 
Answer: I was attending the weekly BrainCARE meetings and Dr. (Caroline) Ketcham and Dr. (Eric) Hall mentioned that they needed someone to fill the position as head student associate to oversee the two-year NFL grant. I was going into my junior year and thought the idea sounded like a great opportunity. I was able to get started with practice in the ending weeks of my sophomore year with the graduating BrainCARE seniors, which made me ready to jump right in as head in August.

Question: What was the most interesting part of the experience?
 
Answer: Getting to know the ins and outs of concussions and concussion protocols. Being able to test the athletes and see what physical results come from concussions sparked my interest in my own concussion research that I have been working on this past semester and hope to continue throughout my life.

Question: What have been the biggest challenges and adjustments you've had to make during this internship?
 
Answer: Understanding the commitment of a research assistant. We test these athletes 24-48 hours post injury and I am first on call. Being an athlete, I understand the frustration that comes with any injury let alone a concussion. I try to be there for these athletes to help them get back to playing as soon as possible.
 
Question: What does it mean to you to get a chance to participate in an internship locally and on campus at Elon University?
 
Answer: I love helping the Elon community and helping the athletes start to understand the facts behind concussions. It starts a conversation behind concussion knowledge and concussion safety & prevention, which is crucial in today's sports world. What keeps me going is knowing I have influence in starting the discussion of concussion prevention and safety.

Question: Would this experience potentially be a career path you would take in the future?
 
Answer: Definitely yes. Concussions are a major interest to me, especially concussion research and prevention. I feel it a topic circling the media and something I want to have influence on.
 
Q&A with Dr. Caroline Ketcham (Co-Director Elon BrainCARE)

Question: Why do you hire students from Elon University and what makes them special?
 
Answer: We engage students in our BrainCARE research throughout the year. We have great success with Elon students leading research and education initiatives around concussions and mental health. In many ways students are able to ask relevant and timely questions as well as have the talent to engage in all aspects of the research process.

Question: What impact have Elon University students and student-athletes had during their internships with the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute?
 
Answer: Our students are the heart of our work as both researchers and the population we aim to serve. We engage student-athletes often, respecting the time commitments they have as part of their sport, but knowing the impact they can have on this work and the impact engagement in these experiences can have on them.
 
Question: What does it mean to have Elon University students and student-athletes complete internships locally and on campus?
 
Answer: It means a lot to engage student-athletes in high impact practices such as research and internships. Katie's work with Elon BrainCARE straddles this line as she works on data collection and data entry beyond our typical research students, but also is engaged in her own research experience and conducting SURE this summer. These experiences are so valuable for our students but make no mistake, we would not be able to do the work we do without talented and committed students. It is a win-win.