 Chris Thompson
Head Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-6186
Email: thompc@rpi.edu
Chris Thompson joined Rensselaer as an assistant athletic trainer in the summer of 2001. He was promoted to associate head trainer in 2006 and head trainer in August 2012. He replaced Anthony Ortolano, who retired in the spring of 2012, as head athletic trainer.
“Anthony built a great sports medicine department over his 26 years at Rensselaer,” said Thompson upon his promotion. “I am proud to have the opportunity to continue this tradition, lead an excellent staff of certified athletic trainers, and serve our dedicated student-athletes.”
“We are excited to have Chris take over as the head athletic trainer – he is completely qualified and a superb team player in the department,” Knowlton said when Thompson was elevated. “He cares deeply about the student-athletes and will continue to raise the bar in our athletic training program.”
In the role associate athletic trainer he was responsible for supervising and mentoring assistant athletic trainers, interns and work-study students, communicating with the staff of Rensselaer's Student Health Center as well as with team physicians and orthopedists, budgeting, and coordinating the staff's schedules.
He originally came to Rensselaer as an assistant athletic trainer in the summer of 2001. Among his duties since arriving have been providing daily athletic training coverage for the Division I men's hockey team, assisting with the sports medicine and rehabilitation services for each of the Institute's other 22 athletic programs and serving as the department instructor of CPR and first aid.
He joined the RPI staff after spending a year with Columbia Physical Therapy, P.C., where he was the head athletic trainer for five area high schools, performed administrative duties and provided strength and conditioning services.
Thompson was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Massachusetts, where he earned a Master's Degree in exercise science, from 1998-2000. He worked with the football team, which won the 1998 Division I-AA National Championship, as well as the baseball and men's lacrosse teams. He also provided assistance with a variety of other sports, including swimming and track & field.
Thompson, who worked as an intern with the Washington Redskins on two separate occasions, earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in athletic training, from James Madison University.
He is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine, New York State as an athletic trainer and the American Red Cross.
Thompson, a Severna Park, Md., native, lives in Guilderland and has four children, Brittany, Josh, Shea and Aidan.
Education
2000 University of Massachusetts at Amherst- M.S. Exercise Science
1998 James Madison University- B.S. Kinesiology, Athletic Training
Certifications/Memberships
ATC
CSCS
CES
Active Release Therapy (Full Body)
M1 & M2 Graston Technique
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
 Mizue Iwamoto
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email: iwamom@rpi.edu
A native of Gifu, Japan, Iwamoto returned to the Rensselaer staff in August of 2011.
Iwamoto spent last season at Plattsburgh State University. While there, she was the direct trainer for the Cardinals' women's soccer, women's hockey and men's lacrosse teams. Additionally, she helped provide the daily treatment for all 17 varsity programs, while also implementing strength and conditioning programs for the squads.
Iwamoto, who served as an intern trainer for the Engineers in the 2009-10 season, is board certified and is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). She has volunteered at numerous championships and tournaments, including the 2007 Gus Macker Basketball Tournament and the 2006 & 2007 Empire State Games.
A former standout on the Canisius College women's soccer team, Iwamoto gained significant experience through internships, including work with the FC Gold Pride –a professional women's soccer team in California – and at Southmoreland High School, West Seneca High School and AthletiCare.
Iwamoto graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Canisius in 2008 and received her Master of Science in Athletic Training from California University of Pennsylvania in May of 2009.
Education
2008 Canisius College - B.S. Athletic Training
2009 California University of Pennsylvania - M.S. Athletic Training
Certifications/Memberships
M1 & M2 Graston Certified
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
Chris Herrmann
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email: herrmc@rpi.edu
Herrmann joined the Athletic Medicine staff in October of 2011.
A native of Cambridge, N.Y., Herrmann joins the Engineers training staff after spending three seasons as an assistant in sports medicine at Union College from 2008-2011. During his tenure he served as the primary trainer for the school's Division I women's ice hockey team, while also working with the Division III men's lacrosse program which captured the 2011 Liberty League Championship title.
Before arriving at Union, Herrmann served as a graduate assistant at East Stroudsburg University, where he worked with the Division II football and track & field programs. As an undergraduate at SUNY Cortland, he worked as a student trainer for the Red Dragons track & field, men's basketball and women's lacrosse teams.
Herrmann, who is board certified and licensed by the State of New York, is also a member of the National Athletic Trainers Associate (NATA) and the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association (EATA).
A 2007 graduate of SUNY Cortland with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training, Herrmann earned his Master of Science in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg University in 2008.
Education
2008 East Stroudsburg University- M.S. Sport Management
2007 SUNY Cortland- B.S. Athletic Training
Certifications/Memberships
M1 & M2 Graston Certified
BOC Certified 2008-Present
NATA Member 2006-Present
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
 Hwaseon Kim
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email: kimh15@rpi.eduHwaseon Kim was added to the Rensselaer training staff in the fall of 2012.
A 2012 graduate of Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., Kim is the primary contact for men's soccer and men's basketball.
As a student, Kim worked with the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League. She helped evaluate injuries and administered rehabilitation techniques and procedures to enhance injury recovery for those professional players. She was also a student athletic trainer at Lewis, where she worked with the volleyball team, but also performed injury evaluation, taped and evaluated injuries.
Kim spent the summer of 2011 with Newsome Physical and Hand Therapy, providing rehab, therapy and treatment as required. That followed a stint at the University of St. Francis as well as time spent at two Illinois high schools.
The Japanese native was also an athletic training student with Tokyo Apache Japan, a professional basketball team, as well as a physician's assistant at Tsurui Orthopedics in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan.
Kim is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and board certified by the organization.
Education
2012 Lewis University - B.S Athletic Training
2018 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences - MHS Athletic Training
Certifications/Memberships
M1 & M2 Graston Certified
BOC Certified 2012-Present
NATA Member 2012-Present
ImPACT Trained Athletic Trainer 2018
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
 Austin Jones
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email: jonesa15@rpi.edu
A native of Nassau, N.Y., Jones joined the Rensselaer training staff as an intern in 2017 and become a full-time staff member in 2018.
A 2017 graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, he is the primary contact for field hockey and baseball.
Education
2017 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - B.S. Athletic Training
Certifications/Memberships
M1 Graston Certified
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
 TBA
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email:
 Sophie Knittle
Athletic Training Associate
Phone: 518-276-2884
Email: knitts@rpi.edu
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