Quality Improvement & Innovation Awards

The CAATE Foundation’s mission is to serve as a catalyst to advance athletic training education through the promotion of quality improvement, innovation, diversity, and best practices for student recruitment. In support of its mission, the CAATE Foundation has developed an awards program to recognize programs for innovation and quality improvement in athletic training education.

Innovation Award: Recognizes a program’s use of strategic and intentional processes for identifying, implementing, and measuring new initiatives that advance program quality and/or learner achievement.

Quality Improvement Award: Recognizes a program’s use of a structured, data-driven process to evaluate systems and outcomes that include identifying areas for improvement, selecting and implementing measurable changes, and analyzing changes to ensure progression toward established quality improvement project benchmarks.

Award Identification and Recognition Procedures:

• The CAATE Foundation will seek submissions for the Innovation and Quality Improvement Awards on an annual basis.
• The CAATE Foundation will select one winner in each category—Innovation and Quality Improvement—for both professional programs and residency/fellowship programs. Additionally, there will be no limit on the number of honorable mentions awarded. The winners will be featured in a CAATE Town Hall, and summaries of their work will be posted on the CAATE website.
• Programs must be in good standing with the CAATE in order to submit an application.
• If noteworthy processes are identified through the Comprehensive Programmatic Review Process, the Annual Report review, or the quality improvement process, the program will be encouraged to apply.

Submission Categories: Applications addressing the CAATE core competencies are encouraged but not required. The CAATE Foundation further encourages applications that aim to address innovation and quality improvement in a variety of contexts, such as faculty development; preceptor development; social determinants of health; diversity, equity, and inclusion; assessment of student learning; clinical education; program marketing and recruitment; alumni engagement; and faculty and preceptor scholarship.

2025 Recipients

These honorees have demonstrated exceptional dedication, creativity, and leadership in advancing athletic training education. Their work not only reflects a commitment to excellence but also exemplifies CAATE’s mission to foster continuous improvement and innovation across the profession.

Quality Improvement Award Gannon University’s Master of Athletic Training Program for their submission titled “Comprehensive Programmatic Redesign to Streamline and Improve Recruitment, Enrollment, and Retention.”  Emory University's Residency of Athletic Training Program for their submission titled, “Applicant Recruitment Initiatives.”	Innovation Award University of Houston Master of Athletic Training (MAT) Program “Integrating Artificial Intelligence Literacy into Athletic Training Education: Enhancing Student Preparedness through Chatbot-Driven Learning.”