Demographics of NATA Fellows: An Analysis of the First 15 Years

The purpose was to describe the demographics of current National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) fellows and determine if a relationship between time to receive a fellowship and demographics existed. In this cross-sectional study, we used an online survey of the first 15 cohorts of NATA fellows (completion rate: 65.2%; n = 47/72) self-reporting their demographics and academic appointment milestones. Demographics collected included age, race or ethnicity, sex, year of degree completion, and familial status. The sample was mostly men (74.5%; n = 35), self-identified as White (93.6%; n = 44), and married (93.6%; n = 44). Birth or adoption of children occurred before fellowship application (80.9%; n = 38), with 83.0% (n = 39) having active coparents. A relationship existed between the child-to-fellowship time frame and the terminal degree-to-fellowship time frame ( r = .728, P ≤ .001). Many demographics are underrepresented in the fellowship cohorts, and familial variables may affect time to achieve the award.