Welcome from the Director

As the new Director of the Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance, I am pleased to welcome you to examine our mission, history, activities, and events detailed on our website. While I am new to the Institute Director role here in College Station, the Huffines Institute and Texas A&M University are not new to me.   The annual Huffines Discussion lectures, which have continued as Hilliard Discussions, have resonated nationally for many years as a forum highlighting innovative and impactful research on sports medicine and human performance. I have had the good fortune to have many colleagues participate in these annual events, which are eagerly anticipated and viewed by students, faculty, coaches, and clinicians nationally and internationally. Over the years, I have also had many opportunities to interact with talented students, faculty, and alumni across the Texas A&M campus. These individuals have made and continue to make significant contributions to research, education, and professional organizations that impact the broad fields of health and exercise science, sports medicine, and athletic performance.   Needless to say, I am very excited about the opportunity to join the vibrant environment on the Texas A&M campus and the Huffines Institute.

From our events, activities, and programs, you will see that the Huffines Institute is well positioned within the energetic environment at Texas A&M to positively impact the people of Texas and the Nation by disseminating, applying, and creating new knowledge involving sports medicine and human performance. Undoubtedly, the strategic leveraging of Huffines Institute resources and planning for future growth can continue to catalyze these impactful contributions from our talented, motivated, and creative students, faculty, clinicians, coaches, and community. I look forward to working with our students, faculty affiliates, advisory board members, and administration to generate the creative space, interactions, and resources to foster this future growth.

As we examine all the activities the Huffines Institute has been involved in recently and subsequently plan for the future, we must look back to acknowledge the forward-thinking individuals who laid the foundation for all of those who have and will benefit from the Huffines Institute. These individuals include Dr. Jack Wilmore's vision, financial resources provided by an endowment by Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Huffines, and a separate estate gift from Mike and Debbie Hilliard. The path to today was also paved by the outstanding leadership of prior Institute Directors Dr. Stephen Crouse and Dr. Tim Lightfoot. A special thank you is reserved for the tireless work of Dr. Jenna Yentes, who, in her recent service as Acting Director of the Huffines Institute, successfully led the Institute into a new era of growth and productivity by developing new interactions, programs, and initiatives. Furthermore, there is an extraordinary place in the Huffines Institute legacy that has served as the x-factor in all the success to date; these individuals are the talented, creative, and motivated Texas A&M undergraduate and graduate students who have been the boots on the ground for all the successful initiatives and events over the years.

In closing, it is my hope, after reviewing our events and activities, that you are as excited as I am for how the Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance can continue to grow in the role as a critical catalyst at Texas A&M for education, research, and community interaction in the broadly defined areas of sports medicine and human performance.

Sincerely,

James Carson. Ph.D.

Director, Sidney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine & Human Performance