About
Karen Wojtas became Director of the AB Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program in 2023, having joined the faculty in 2019 as Associate Professor and Clinical Director. Under her leadership the program has earned its initial CAATE re-accreditation (2024), achieved a 100% BOC certification pass rate for both 2024 and 2025 cohorts, and graduated 28 entry-level certified ATs into clinical practice.
Wojtas holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from West Virginia University (2014), an M.S. in Exercise Science from Marshall University (2002), and a B.S. in Athletic Training from Ohio University (1998). She is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) through the Board of Certification and a Licensed Athletic Trainer in West Virginia and Ohio.
Before academia, she spent fifteen years in collegiate athletic training — first as a graduate assistant at Marshall, then as an assistant AT at the University of Charleston (WV), and finally as the Head Athletic Trainer at Concord University (WV) from 2008 to 2019. She is a frequent CAATE site visitor and a member of the CAATE Standards Committee.
Education
- 2014Ed.D., Educational Leadership — West Virginia University. Dissertation: Clinical Education in Entry-Level Master's Athletic Training Programs: A Pedagogical Audit.
- 2002M.S., Exercise Science — Marshall University.
- 1998B.S., Athletic Training — Ohio University. Mid-American Conference Academic All-Conference.
Teaching
Dr. Wojtas teaches three core MSAT courses and is the primary clinical preceptor for AT students assigned to AB football and women's soccer.
- AT 510Therapeutic Interventions & Manual TherapyA 4-credit summer MSAT course covering joint mobilization, soft-tissue techniques, modalities, and the AT scope of practice in therapeutic interventions.
- AT 540Athletic Training Clinical Practicum IThe first MSAT clinical-immersion course, paired with a 250-hour assigned-team clinical rotation.
- AT 690Capstone Research & Professional PracticeA semester-long final-year course in which each MSAT student completes a publishable-quality clinical-research capstone.
Practice, Service, & Scholarship
Wojtas's scholarship centers on clinical education in entry-level athletic-training programs, on the integration of mental-health screening into the routine AT workflow, and on the post-COVID re-design of collegiate AT practice. She is a member of the CAATE Standards Committee (since 2022) and a frequent site visitor.
She maintains a clinical caseload as the AB football team's primary AT (Wednesday and Saturday game-day coverage), and is the medical-coverage lead for the AB Sprint Football program.
Selected Publications & Presentations
- 2024"Mental Health Screening in the Routine AT Workflow." Journal of Athletic Training.
- 2023"Clinical Immersion in the Entry-Level Master's AT Program." Athletic Training Education Journal.
- 2021Co-author, The CAATE Site-Visit Field Guide. CAATE Press.
- 2025Plenary, NATA National Convention, "Why We Made AT a Master's Profession — and What We Owe the Next Generation."
Honors & Service
- 2024CAATE Initial Re-Accreditation of the AB MSAT Program.
- 2023NATA Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainer of the Year.
- 2022CAATE Standards Committee appointment.
- 2020Concord University Distinguished Alumni Award (Distinguished Trainer).
- 1998Mid-American Conference Academic All-Conference.
The AT room is the most honest place in the entire athletic department. Nobody comes in there pretending to be fine. And nobody walks out without having been seen.— Dr. Karen E. Wojtas, ATC, EdD
Beyond the Classroom
Wojtas lives in Philippi with her wife Allyson (the Concord University head softball coach until 2019, now AB's Director of Compliance) and their three rescue dogs. She is an avid mountain biker, a casual quilter, and a serious country-music fan (she has seen Eric Church live nine times).
She is on the Barbour County YMCA board, a frequent volunteer at the annual AB Football Special Olympics Buddies Game, and an unofficial mentor to AB's undergraduate AT students.