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401 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606-13490
(813) 253-3333
2001 Lenoir-Rhyne College, B.S. in Athletic Training
2003 Old Dominion University, MSEd
2020 AT Still University, DAT
BOC Certified Athletic Trainer and Florida licensed Athletic Trainer
American Red Cross Instructor: Emergency Medical Response, Basic Life Support, Administering Emergency Oxygen, Community CPR/AED/First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens
Mental Health First Aid Instructor
Emergency Care in Athletic Training, Medical and Surgical
Issues in Athletic Training, Therapeutic Interventions 1 and 2
Emergency Care for the Healthcare Professional
In the field of athletic training/sports medicine, VanOpdorp's specialty areas are emergency care and preparation and rehabilitation, including:
VanOpdorp has over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience in athletic training. At Old Dominion University, she provided comprehensive care for Division I Men’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Basketball teams, as well as the club sports program. Concurrently, she served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Exercise Science.
Following graduation from Old Dominion, she began her tenure as a clinical athletic trainer at The University of Tampa. In this role, she provided healthcare to athletes across all Division II teams, primarily responsible for Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Basketball and softball. During this time, she balanced her time between her clinical duties and teaching in the CAATE-accredited athletic training program until transitioning to a full-time faculty position. Further demonstrating her commitment to student development outside the classroom, VanOpdorp advised the undergraduate Athletic Training Student Organization.
Research interests include emergency care, clinical preceptor education, mental health in college students/student-athlets and advanced functional rehabilitation.
VanOpdorp has spoken regionally and nationally on implementing athletic training competencies and standards into clinical education and led activity development workshops for athletic training faculty. She has published articles in the International Journal of Athletic Training and Therapy, and the Journal of Sports Physical Rehabilitation. Demonstrating her commitment to the importance of emergency care across health professions,VanOpdorp has certified over 500 allied health students in emergency medical response and supported the physician assistant program by assisting and supervising mass casualty incident training and simulations.
VanOpdorp has been an active member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association since 1999. From 2008 to 2015, she served on the State of Florida’s Board of Athletic Training Andersen and was vice-chair from 2010 to 2015 and still serves the board as a member of the Probable Cause Panel. She is an active member of the Association for Athletic Training Education (AATE) and has been on the AATE Faculty Development Committee since its inception in 2020. She is also a member of the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association and the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida.