Under the direction of Mitch Callis, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, the Norfolk State University Sports Medicine program provides athletic training services to more than 280 Spartan student-athletes. Callis is one of the leading practitioners in the field of sports medicine in Hampton Roads, and is known both regionally and nationally for his outstanding contributions to the field of sports medicine.

The NSU Sports Medicine Center is located adjacent to Gill Gymnasium. The 3,000 square foot facility has 10 training tables, an office, and a wide variety of rehabilitative equipment and therapeutic modalities. Callis oversees a staff of one full-time and one part-time certified athletic trainer, as well as four certified graduate assistants. As many as three of his student trainers have gone on to work with him full-time and many more have gone on to excel in the field of sports medicine. Some of the other medical professionals that work with the sports medicine program are team chiropractor Dr. Morgan Joe, nurse practitioner Ruby Haynes, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Schall, sports medicine physician Dr. Joel Brenner, and William Penn, certified athletic trainer.

Spartan student-athletes also have access to athletic training services in the training room located in Echols Hall. The room is mainly used for the women’s volleyball team and the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and offers student-athletes basic treatment services.

The sports medicine program provides pre-practice preparation, treatment, and rehabilitation of injured student-athletes on a daily basis.

“The main goal of the NSU Sports Medicine program is to deliver state-of-the-art sports medicine care to the student-athletes,” says Callis. “One very important factor to our program’s success has been the cooperation of all of the people involved with our student-athletes.”