Dr. Genna Fusco, assistant professor of athletic training and clinical education coordinator at Cedarville University, and her students teach evidence-based rehabilitation techniques, injury prevention strategies and holistic patient care at a symposium hosted by Athletes in Action. GENNA FUSCO / CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY / CONTRIBUTED
GENNA FUSCO CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY / CONTRIBUTED
Graduates of Cedarville University’s master’s degree in athletic training program partnered with Athletes in Action to expand sports medicine education in other countries and demonstrate how athletic training can support healthcare and Christian ministry.
Genna Fusco, assistant professor of athletic training and clinical education coordinator, led the graduates to Yaoundé, Cameroon, a sovereign country located in west-central Africa, to serve with AIA, a ministry of Cru, a Christian organization.
“While athletic trainers are a common presence on sports sidelines across the United States, the profession remains largely undeveloped in Cameroon,” according to Mark D. Weinstein, executive director of public relations for the university.
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The organization developed a track and field club that competes throughout Africa while using athletes’ gifts and influence to share the gospel. But as the ministry has grown, so has the need for trained sports medicine professionals who can provide injury prevention, rehabilitation and athletic care.
Since athletic training is not recognized as an established profession in Cameroon, AIA hopes to equip and mentor future sports medicine professionals who can serve through ministry.
During the trip, AIA hosted a sports medicine symposium at a local university where Fusco and her students presented evidence-based rehabilitation techniques, injury prevention strategies and patient-centered care practices, and met with healthcare professionals to discuss building athletic training education programs and creating long-term opportunities for the profession within Cameroon’s developing healthcare system.
Fusco explained that athletic trainers can play a unique role beyond treating injuries, providing physical care while also supporting their mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Dr. Genna Fusco
SCOTT HUCK CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY / CONTRIBUTED
Madelyn Coonan, who graduated from Cedarville’s Master of Athletic Training program this year, said seeing the need for athletic trainers in Cameroon expanded her vision for the profession and reinforced how it can be used to serve others.
“I was reminded that to use athletic training as a ministry, you only need to remain faithful to what God is calling you to and to keep a kingdom mindset,” Coonan said. “Whether I’m on a missions trip or working at my job, my objective isn’t going to change. I’ll keep praying for my athletes and the people I work with, asking God to open doors for spiritual conversations, serving with humility and joyfulness and planting as many seeds as I can.”
The opportunity to partner with AIA came from Fusco’s involvement with them. She began as a summer intern and joined the ministry’s staff for two and a half years after earning her master’s degree in kinesiology. After leaving the ministry, she served as a volunteer with AIA until joining Cedarville in 2022.
As students expressed interest in using athletic training to serve international athletes, Fusco began looking at opportunities to take them overseas.
“Ever since I started at Cedarville, students have asked me if the athletic training program would ever offer the chance to serve overseas,” she said. “When I realized that there was an opportunity to serve with Athletes in Action, I knew I needed to take a group of students.”
Fusco hopes the experience strengthened her students’ desire to serve in athletic training as a profession and a ministry.
“The sports world encompasses nearly everyone, and it won’t be going away,” Fusco said. “As athletic trainers, we have a unique opportunity to share the gospel and care for the spiritual health of our teams just as we care for their physical health. I see our profession as an avenue to share the gospel, to go places, to reach people and to disciple people.”
Fusco hopes the Cameroon trip will become an annual event for Cedarville’s athletic training program.