Paul Geisler

Dean Paul R. Geisler, EdD, AT Ret. arrived in the fall of 2021 as an Associate Dean of Health Sciences and Professor of Health Professions Education within the College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences at Simmons University. From January 2022 to January 2024, he was concurrently the Interim Dean of Natural & Behavioral Sciences within the College, and on July 1, 2024, he began his tenure as Dean of the School of Sciences & Health Professions.

Dean Geisler is a native of Lakeville, Massachusetts, and a current resident of Boston. A retired certified athletic trainer with 36 years of clinical and professional experience in high school, college, clinical, corporate, and private settings, Dean Geisler also has over two decades leading athletic training education programs at Georgia Southern University and Ithaca College. Amongst his clinical work, he has worked as a volunteer athletic trainer for the 1988 McDonald's International Gymnastics Cup in Washington, DC, the 1994 World Cup USA, and the 1996 Games of the XXVI Olympiad, held in Atlanta, Georgia.

His higher education work has focused on the development and assessment of the clinical thinking processes of novice and experienced clinicians, the development of adaptive expertise, progressive and meaningful curriculum design, competency and capability-based education, and authentic programmatic assessment. He is credited with over 200 national and international publications and presentations concerning clinical and education-based challenges in athletic training practice and the larger health professions fields.

Due to his work in high-level golf performance and sports medicine, he was the Keynote Speaker of the 2002 Swedish Golf Federation Medical Conference in Stockholm as well as the first non-PGA professional to be authorized to provide continuing education for members of the Professional Golfers’ Association. He has been fortunate to present scholarly talks at both Beijing and Chengdu Sport Universities in the People's Republic of China, for Athletic Rehabilitation and Therapists, Ireland at IT, Carlow, for the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy, for the Association of Medical Education Europe, and for the European Board of Medical Assessors.

He has been awarded two manuscript awards from the Journal of Athletic Training and the Athletic Training Education Journal for his scholarly work on critical multiculturalism and the assessment of evidence-informed clinical reasoning. For his significant professional contributions to his field, he has been awarded the NATA Athletic Training Service and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Awards.

In 2021, his educational accomplishments were recognized by receiving the NATA Executive Council on Education's Sayers "Bud" Miller Distinguished Educator Award, the highest education-based award given by the AT profession. From his tenure at Ithaca College, he received two Dean's Awards for Excellence & Innovation in Teaching, one Dean's Excellence Award for Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching and Learning, and the all-institution Ithaca College Faculty Excellence Award.

He admits to being an enthusiastic but slow and persistent road cyclist, an avid amateur shutterbug of nature, people, and structure, and an unabashed promoter of equal rights, justice, and authentic democracy for all living beings. He and his life partner and wife of over three decades, Susan, are grateful parents of two amazing sons — Nicholas, a writer living in Los Angeles, California, and Benjamin, a photographer and artist living in Brooklyn, New York.

His previous positions include:

• Associate Dean, Health Sciences and Interim Associate Dean, Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Simmons University
• Tenured Professor & Director, Athletic Training Education, Ithaca College, NY (2005-2021)
• Assistant Professor & Director, Athletic Training Education, Georgia Southern University, GA (1998-2005)
• Athletic Trainer, Georgia Southern University Athletics, Baseball (2000, 2001)
• National Director, HealthSouth Sport Program, Birmingham, AL (1993-1996)
• Athletic Trainer, Orlando Thunder, World League of American Football (1992)
• Athletic Trainer, Trinity Preparatory High School, Winter Park, FL (1991)
• Visiting Lecturer, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1990-1991)
• Athletic Trainer, Durham Academy, Durham, NC (1998-1991)
• Athletic Trainer, National Center for Sports Medicine and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Arlington, VA (1987-1988) 

Education

• Bachelor of Science, Sports Medicine with Honors, Marietta College (OH)
• Master of Arts, Exercise Physiology, UNC-Chapel Hill
• Doctor of Education, Curriculum Studies, Georgia Southern University

License/Certification

• AT, Retired (Board of Certification, 1987-2023)

Professional Affiliations & Memberships (Past & Current)

• Associate Editor & Pearls of Practice Column Editor, Athletic Training & Sports Healthcare
• Manuscript reviewer, Journal of Athletic Training
• Manuscript reviewer, International Journal of Athletic Training & Therapy
• Manuscript reviewer, Focus on Health Professions Education (New Zealand)
• Editorial Board Member and Manuscript Reviewer, Athletic Training Education Journal
• Volunteer Athletic Trainer, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and 1994 World Cup
• Member, World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy
• Founding Chair, NATA EducATionalist Community Cabinet
• Chair, EATA Education Summit
• Member, EATA Research Committee
• Chair, EATA Research Abstract Sub Committee
• Member, NATA Professional Education Committee
• Member, NATA Executive Council on Education
• Member, European Board of Medical Assessors
• Member, Association of Medical Education, Europe
• Adjunct Faculty, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
• Member, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Doctorate Health Sciences Advisory Board
• Member, National Athletic Trainers' Association