About Us
August 5, 2024
James Oñate, PhD, AT, FNATA, has been named interim director of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HRS) and interim vice dean for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in The Ohio State University College of Medicine, effective August 15.
Dr. Oñate will step into this role following the departure of Amy Darragh, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, who has accepted a new position as dean of the College of Health Professions at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Oñate is a professor and director of the Division of Athletic Training in HRS. He is also a member of the Human Performance Collaborative, the Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute and the Chronic Brain Injury Program at Ohio State. He is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar in the field of human movement assessment, with a focus on preventing and treating injuries in physically active populations.
Since 2004, Dr. Oñate has received continuous funding as a principal investigator or co-investigator. Support for his research has come from such organizations as the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Special Operations Command, which has funded projects related to the care of youth football athletes, high school athletes, military special operations soldiers and law enforcement officers.
For nearly two decades, Dr. Oñate has collaborated with sports medicine groups connected to U.S. military special operations. He is a founding member of the Naval Special Warfare sports medicine community, which was instrumental in establishing a foundation for the military’s clinical human performance work. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and seven book chapters. He also serves as associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training.
Dr. Oñate joined HRS in 2010 as an assistant professor, after serving as a faculty member at Old Dominion University and Boston University. He was promoted to associate professor in 2013 and to full professor earlier this year. A well-respected teacher and mentor, Dr. Oñate enjoys advising students and junior faculty on their research and career development. He also teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels on athletic training, biomechanics and how to conduct research.
Dr. Oñate received his PhD in Human Movement Science and his MA in Exercise Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a Fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and serves as the founding chair of the Athletic Training Research Agenda Committee for the NATA Research & Education Foundation.
A national search will take place for the permanent director of HRS, with details shared at a later date.