BOSTON – Simmons University Director of Athletics & Recreation Erica Schuling has announced Katy Annunziata as the next Director of Sports Medicine. Annunziata will begin her new role on June 12, 2023.
"I am thrilled to welcome Katy to Simmons University," says Schuling. "She brings an incredible amount of knowledge and expertise that will strengthen our efficiency and overall operations. I am confident that she will provide our student athletes with high-quality care that is focused on all dimensions of their well-being."
Annunziata arrives at Simmons with a tremendous amount of experience leading a collegiate sports medicine department. Most recently she served as the Head Athletic Trainer at nearby Emerson College, where she supervised a staff of two full-time assistants and also coordinated schedules daily to arrange or adequate sports medicine coverage for all 14 Varsity athletic programs.
It was also during her time with the Lions, Annunziata led the department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She helped implementing additional policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes during athletic activities during the pandemic.
"I'd like to thank Athletic Director Erica Schuling and the search committee for this amazing opportunity," says Annunziata. "I'm excited to be joining the Simmons Athletics Department and am looking forward to working with these student athletes to provide them with a high-quality athletic health care experience."
No stranger to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), Annunziata returns to the conference after spending seven years at Mount Ida College. After five years as an assistant athletic trainer for the Mustangs, she was promoted into Head Athletic Trainer role in May, 2016 where she remained until the college's closure in 2018.
During her time leading the Mustang Sports Medicine Department, Annunziata implemented a new electronic medical record system that increased efficiency and decreased cost by 80%. Additionally, she always looked for new ways to improve the athletic training services and better enhance the student-athlete experience. Extremely efficient in the world of athletic training, Annunziata was twice recognized by her peers within the GNAC as the Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.
A Board-Certified athletic trainer, Annunziata graduated with her Bachelor's in athletic training from Merrimack College in the spring of 2009. She went on to obtain her Master's in athletic training from California University of Pennsylvania in 2011, where her thesis involved a dive into "The Availability of Certified Athletic Trainers in High Schools in Massachusetts."