Karen Pfeifer came to Kennesaw State in August of 2002 after serving as the head athletic trainer for Life University. While overseeing the entire KSU Sports Medicine program, she is also the Men's Basketball athletic trainer. She worked with the team when they won their National Championship in 2004.

While at Life University, she worked with the women's basketball team that made it to the elite eight of the NAIA National Tournament and numerous cross country and track and field National Champions.  Bringing years of athletic training experience to the Owls Athletic Department, Pfeifer was also the assistant athletic trainer at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a member of the NCAA Division I Northeast Conference.

Between her stints as a college athletic trainer, she worked as an outreach athletic trainer for St. Vincent's Sports Medicine and as research assistant for the Orthopaedics Indianapolis Spine surgeons in Indianapolis, Indiana.  As the research assistant, she conducted FDA sponsored studies and assisted the OrthoIndy surgeons with the writing of their medical research papers. 

Pfeifer holds a Master's degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her Bachelor's degree in Physical Education / Athletic Training from the State University of New York at Cortland, as well as a Bachelor's degree in the Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland.  The first team that she ever worked with as a student athletic trainer at SUNY Cortland was the NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Champions.  Her passion for sports medicine and working with elite athletes was born during that season.

In addition to her work with the KSU athletes, she is the current sports medicine coordinator for the Georgia Games Championships.  As the GA Games medical coordinator, she has worked with medical professionals from across the state and has covered events including boxing, roller hockey, track & field, tae kwon do and basketball over the past 8 years.  She has also served as the medical director for the "Run for Life" 5k/10k races for the past 7 years.

Karen believes in the professional development of herself and others.  She has organized and served as a speaker at the continuing education symposium sponsored jointly by the Georgia Athletic Trainers Association and the Georgia State Games Commission on a number of occasions.  She also served as an examiner for the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification from 2000-2006.  As a member of the KSU professional community, she serves on the Exercise Science Advisory Committee and acts as the mentor for the Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainers from Georgia State University.

Pfeifer received the National Athletic Training Association's William F.X. Linksey Scholarship Award, the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association Buffalo Bills Football Club Scholarship and was a Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate Scholarship Finalist. She has also received appreciation awards from the KSU Fighting Owls Club and Life University for her service to her student-athletes.

Karen, a Pittsburgh native and avid Steeler fan, and her husband, Eric, have a 7 year old daughter, Kyra, and a 4 year old son, Bryan. They reside in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Contact Information:
Office Phone:    (678) 797-2291
Cell Phone:       (770) 630-2436
Email:               kpfeifer@kennesaw.edu

Chris Archambeault joined the KSU Sports Medicine staff in 2007, after serving as an assistant athletic trainer for Davidson College in North Carolina. Prior to his appointment at Davidson, he served as a Graduate Assistant athletic trainer for the Lovett School in Atlanta.

During the 2007-08 season, Chris was the athletic trainer for the KSU Baseball team and supervised the coverage of the softball and women's soccer teams.  This season, he is taking on the responsibility of the A-Sun Championship Women's Soccer team, in addition to his baseball duties.  He will continue to oversee the coverage of the softball team and supervise the Bailey Complex athletic training room.

Archambeault holds a Master's degree in Sports Medicine from Georgia State University and received his Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from High Point University in North Carolina. While pursuing his education, Chris attained additional experience while working as an athletic trainer for the Atlanta Xplosion Women's Professional Football team, USA Taekwondo and the Georgia Tech Lacrosse Club.  He added to his volunteer efforts this year by providing medical coverage to the Georgia Games Championships and Run for Life 10k/5k races.

Chris is a native of Buffalo, NY, an avid ice hockey player and referee and he currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia.

Contact Information:
Office phone:       (678) 797-2104
Cell phone:          (678) 372-1623
Email:                 carchamb@kennesaw.edu

Yesy Ochoa joined the KSU Sports Medicine staff in 2007, after serving as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the University of South Florida. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer for Maclay High School in Tallahassee, FL. 

Her main responsibilities at KSU are the coverage of the Women's Basketball and Track & Field teams, as well as general sports medicine coverage in the Convocation Center athletic training room.  During the 2007-08 season, she provided coverage to the Women's Tennis Team.

Ochoa holds a Master's degree in Exercise Science from the University of South Florida and received her Bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training from Florida State University. While pursuing her sports medicine education, Yesy worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in a variety of settings. Her nursing skills bring a new element to the KSU Sports Medicine staff. In addition to her professional responsibilities, she was a dedicated medical volunteer for the Georgia Games Championships this summer.

Yesy is a native of Miami, FL and she currently resides in Kennesaw, GA.

Contact Information:
Office phone:        (770) 423-6487
Cell phone:           (770) 876-0571
Email:                   yochoa@kennesaw.edu

Jen Brisson is a newcomer to the Owls Sports Medicine Staff. Prior to her appointment at KSU, she served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the University of Kentucky Women's Soccer program for two years.  Her primary responsibility at KSU is Women's Volleyball, with the Men's & Women's Tennis programs as her secondary assignment.

Brisson holds a Master's degree in Kinesiology and Health Promotion from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Both degrees involved a specialization in Athletic Training.  While pursuing her education, she obtained valuable experience with a variety of sports in the collegiate, high school and camp settings.  She also served as a Research Assistant for the JUMP-ACL Research Study at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Jen is a native of North Carolina, a first degree black belt in American free-style karate and currently resides in Kennesaw, GA.

Contact Information:
Office phone:        (770) 423-6487
Cell phone:           (910) 874-0293
Email:                   TBA

Joe Pitts was appointed as the first Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for KSU in November of 2006. He has the responsibility of developing specific programs for each team and each athlete to address their strength and conditioning needs. He works closely with the coaches to reach their ultimate performance goals.

Prior to his position at Kennesaw State, Pitts coached at a private boarding school in Virginia and the University of Tennessee. After completing his graduate education, Joe worked as a teacher, head strength & conditioning coach and assistant football coach at a private school in Tallahassee, FL.

Pitts is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science in 1998, and a Master's in Human Performance and Sports Studies in 2000. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a long time member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

While attending the University of Tennessee, he served as a student athletic trainer for the Women's Athletic Department and returned to UT for a summer strength & conditioning internship with the UT summer football program. His sports medicine and strength & conditioning backgrounds are a perfect fit for the KSU student-athletes. Pitts maintains an extremely safe environment and focuses on safe and effective conditioning programs.

Joe, a Kennesaw native, his wife Jennifer and stepdaughter Kylie, currently reside in Kennesaw, Georgia, after years of living away from the Atlanta area.

Contact Information:
Office phone:        (678) 797-2311
Cell phone:           (770) 862-8557
Email:                   jpitts13@kennesaw.edu

Dr. Dysart joined the KSU sports medicine team, as team physician, in December of 2003. He is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with Pinnacle Orthopedics in Marietta and Woodstock. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia. In addition to his medical training, he obtained an MBA from KSU.

Along with his work in the athletic department, Dr. Dysart serves on the KSU Board of Trustees. His dual role has been important to the growth of our athletic and sports medicine programs. Sports Medicine has become a focus of his practice and is evident in his volunteerism, as he has served as the medical director of the Georgia Games Championships since 2004.

Dr. Dysart is very committed to the education of medical professionals.  He has traveled all over the world to give medical presentations.  He also serves as a mentor to medical students and provides consultations across the country.  Dr. Dysart also believes in giving back to the less fortunate and has traveled abroad on numerous medical missions.

Dr. Dysart's commitment to the success of the KSU athletes has been a personal mission of his. He has been a tremendous resource and mentor for our staff. He holds a weekly orthopedic clinic, in the KSU athletic training room. He is excited to lend his time and talents to our program and we are excited to have his expertise in our arsenal. 

Dr. Rau has served as the team chiropractor for KSU since 2002. He is an associate professor in the Sport Health Science department at Life University and maintains a private practice in Marietta.

Dr. Rau graduated from Life Chiropractic College in 1982 and joined the faculty in 1994. Teams that he has served, at KSU and Life, have won over 25 national championships, along with generating many All-Americans. He also served as a team chiropractor for the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League during their first two years in Atlanta. He has taught extremity adjusting and the integration of chiropractic into the care of athletes to chiropractors, athletic trainers and coaches from around the world. 

By bringing his sports chiropractic expertise to KSU, he has added a rare element to our sports medicine program, which has benefited our athletes tremendously. He holds a chiropractic clinic, in the KSU athletic training room, every week. Dr. Rau's volunteerism has been crucial to the success of some of our student athletes. He is not only a great care giver, but he has been a tremendous Owl fan.

Dr. Myers joined the KSU Sports Medicine team in 2007, as our orthopedic consultant for elbow and shoulder injuries. He is currently a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with his own private practice in Buckhead. He brings a great deal of sports medicine experience as a previous team physician for the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Washington Redskins and West Georgia University.

His education includes his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and his internship and residency at Harvard University. He completed his Sports Medicine Fellowship under Dr. James Andrews at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

We are excited to have Dr. Myers on our team. He has provided expert care to our athletes, while educating our sports medicine staff.

Dr. Matechak joined the KSU Sports Medicine team in 2007. He is a primary care physician with experience and a great interest in sports medicine. In addition to his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, he has degrees in aerospace engineering from Auburn and the University of Illinois.

Following years of work as an aerospace engineer with Lockheed-Martin and Boeing, he returned to college to pursue a career in medicine. He attended classes at KSU for medical pre-requisites. Currently, he is a practicing physician with the Cherokee Family Medical Center.

We are excited to have a primary care physician on the KSU sports medicine team. He will be able to address the general medical issues of our student athletes, as well as non-surgical sports medicine issues. Dr. Matechak holds a weekly clinic in the KSU athletic training room and has provided medical coverage for our premier soccer events.

Dr. Kligman has been the KSU team dentist for 19 years. He has a private practice, Dentistry of Olde Towne, in family dentistry in Woodstock. Every fall, he donates his time and resources to make custom mouthguards for our basketball teams. He and his partner, Dr. Chris Rautenstrauch, also handle dental emergencies on an "on-call" basis. Dr. Kligman's commitment to KSU Athletics has been tremendous, as a medical professional and as a booster.

The Kennestone Heart Physicians Group joined our sports medicine team in 2005. They are a group of board certified cardiologists in Marietta. During our pre-participation physical exams, they review our student-athletes' EKG's and determine if further studies are needed. They have also implemented a baseline echocardiogram program for our student-athletes. They bring the echocardiogram machine, a technician and a cardiologist to KSU and do baseline echos on all of our new student-athletes during our annual physical exams. Having them volunteer for our physicals and for consultation was a great addition to our comprehensive physicals and program in general.

Terry Trundle serves as our rehabilitation consultant. He practices at Velocity Spine and Sports Physical Therapy in Marietta. With dual credentials as an athletic trainer and physical therapy assistant, he works very effectively with our student-athletes who undergo extensive rehabilitation. In addition to his work at the Velocity clinic, Terry owns the Athletic Rehab Institute, an educational and athletic injury consultant company, which contracts athletic trainers out to local high schools and provides educational seminars across the country. Terry's rehabilitation programs are always on the cutting edge of research, because of the seminars that he presents year-round.

The KSU sports medicine team joined forces with the KSU Health Clinic in 2003. The KSU student-athletes undergo an extremely comprehensive pre-participation physical exam every year at the clinic. During the physical, the KSU ATC staff, the Health Clinic staff, the primary care physician, the orthopaedic surgeon and the cardiologist all participate in the exam.

Anne Nichols, a Nurse Practitioner, serves as the clinic director. She was instrumental in the development of our pre-participation physical program and has made a strong commitment to our student-athletes. The student-athletes receive excellent care for illnesses and various conditions, from the clinic staff throughout the year.