A.J. Duffy, III became the president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) in June 2024. Just four months later, he visited campus to offer career advice to MSAT students in the Health Sciences Center.

“Be part of the fabric of where you are,” he told the 15 graduate students, emphasizing the importance of immersing themselves in the community and the profession wherever they land a job.

Duffy illustrated the critical nature of making connections with stories that captured the success that social and professional networking can bring. His casual, off-the-cuff style of storytelling and optimistic tone effectively conveyed his insights in a supportive manner.

A native of Michigan, he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and his master's degree from the University of Arizona. In 1981, he accepted his first athletic training position at Temple University. He remained there for two years before returning to his alma mater as a staff member.

In 1990, Duffy left the University of Michigan for Widener University and stayed at the Chester school for 34 years as its head athletic trainer and physical therapist.

In an interview with the NATA News in October of 2023, he gave a clear indication that his term as NATA president will focus on the evolution of the profession.

“Where’s health care going to be in 25 years?” he asked. “Where's the education system going to be in 25 years? Where’s licensure going to be in 25 years? We want to become a profession that is more proactive and less reactive. I think that if we accomplish this, it will help us increase our strategic goals as we move forward and give us a potential endgame."

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. Founded in 1950, NATA has grown to more than 38,000 members worldwide today.

NATA's mission is to represent, engage and foster the continued growth and development of the athletic training profession and athletic trainers as unique health care providers.