Game Plan: Careers in Sports Medicine

907 Upper Front St
Binghamton, NY 13905

Explore Your Passion. Shape Your Future. 

Do you have a love for sports and wonder how it could shape your future career? Join Guthrie at SUNY Broome for this interactive career day to get an inside look at how your love for sports can become an exciting and meaningful career in health care. 

Learn about these jobs through hands-on activities led by the professionals themselves: 

• Athletic Trainer 

• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist 

• Paramedic and Emergency Medicine Technician 

• Sports Medicine Physician 

• Physical Therapist

• Registered Nurse

Plus, gain insights into the role of nutrition in sports and performance, become CPR and first-aid certified, and hear from a special guest from the world sports!  

Event Details 

• Cost: $50 (includes lunch and CPR/first-aid certification) 

• Who can attend: Rising high school sophomores and older

• Registration deadline extended to July 1, 2025 

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore sports medicine careers and connect with local professionals who can help guide your next steps. 

Register by Tuesday, July 1

Presenters

Jessica Callear, MS, MSACN, ACSM-EP, CHC, NCSF-SNS
Jessica is an experienced, certified exercise physiologist, sports nutritionist and health coach at Guthrie Big Flats and Sayre weight loss centers.

Brittany Calvasina, PT, DPT
Brittany has been a practicing physical therapist for 15 years. She graduated from Utica University (College) in 2010 with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Most of her experience is in outpatient orthopedics – she has a strong interest in orthopedic rehabilitation with a focus on post-surgical knee recovery (ACL, multi-ligamentous knee injuries), foot and ankle injuries, running injuries, as well as functional movement. Brittany runs the Bridge program, a transitional return to sport program, at Guthrie Lourdes Hospital Pavilion location. In her tenure, Brittany has become certified in Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Y-Balance Test, and Blood Flow Restriction (BFR). 

Penny J. Clark MS-HCA, BS, RN, RNC-OB
Penny received an Associate Degree in Applied Science for Nursing in 1995 from SUNY Broome Community College, a Bachelor’s in Science for Nursing in 2012 from Binghamton University, and a Master’s Degree in Science for Health Care Administration from Utica College in 2018. She obtained Certification for In-Patient Obstetrics in 2005. Her background as a Registered Nurse is in Education, Intermediate Cardiac Care, Labor and Delivery, Mother-baby, Special Care Nursery, Operating Room, Post-Anesthesia Care, Medical-Surgical, Pediatrics, and Occupational Health.  She has also been a Professor at both SUNY Broome Community College and Binghamton University.  Penny is currently an RN Educator and Training Center Coordinator at Guthrie Lourdes Hospital. She is also certified as an American Heart Instructor in Basic Life Support (BLS), HeartSaver/First Aid, and Advanced Life Support (ACLS).  For enjoyment, Penny spends time with family – she and her husband keep busy with six children and ten grandchildren, as well as three sweet dogs and two cats. She enjoy hiking, swimming, bowling, and riding her bike. Penny is looking forward to bringing lifesaving skills and knowledge to you.  

Sarah Creery, MS, RN, NPD-BC 
Sarah graduated from SUNY Broome in 1998 with a degree in nursing. She started her nursing career at UHS Wilson on a medical/surgical oncology unit, and also worked on the telemetry unit and in the operating room. Sarah started at Lourdes Hospital in 2006 on the cardiovascular telemetry unit, where she mentored many nursing students and new nurses. She then transferred to the intensive care unit, where she worked for eight years, functioning as the charge nurse, mentor and preceptor. While working in the ICU, Sarah also obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees. She became the clinical nurse leader for palliative medicine. Education has always been her passion, so she transferred to the emergency department and became the educator for the entire department. Sarah became an instructor for the American Heart Association for Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Heart Saver. In 2022, she joined the Learning Services team. Sarah also works as a clinical instructor for Excelsior University, facilitating clinical experiences for nursing students at Guthrie Lourdes Hospital. In her free time, Sarah loves spending time with family, especially her nephew, and she sits on the board of directors for Mom’s House, a non-profit organization offering free childcare for low-income parents pursuing their education.

Luke Dalberg, CSCS
Luke is a strength and conditioning coach with over a decade of experience across collegiate, military and high school settings. He is currently coaching at Tioga High School, with a strong background in injury mitigation and return-to-play bridge programming.

Dexter R. Dale, DO, CAQSM
Dr. Dale is a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine physician at Guthrie Sayre Family Medicine.

Kathi Dolgos, RN, CEN, NREMT-P, FP-C
Kathi is originally from Indianapolis, Ind. where she worked for the city ambulance service as well as at Methodist Hospital. While there, she worked on the ground ambulance as well as in the ER as a paramedic. After moving to N.Y., Kathi lived in Vestal for many years and currently lives in Oxford, N.Y.  Kathi is a graduate of IU Indianapolis, St. Vincents Healthcare, Excelsior College and SUNY Broome. Kathi holds certifications as a Paramedic in N.Y. and Pa., National Registered Paramedic, Certified Flight Paramedic and Flight Nurse, Pa. Prehospital RN and has RN licenses in N.Y., Pa. and Ind. She also holds instructor certifications in AHA BLS, PALS & ACLS along with being an instructor and Affiliate Faculty for ITLS.  Kathi has worked as a Flight Nurse and Flight Paramedic and recently retired from LifeNet NY/Guthrie Air after many years of flying. She currently works at UHS/CMH in the ER, ASU/PACU. In addition, she continues to teach at the Southern Tier Paramedic Program located at SUNY Broome, where she has for many years. Kathi is interested in education at all levels of EMS and nursing and is specifically interested in trauma and in pediatrics. In her free time Kathi enjoys hiking, running, cooking, gardening and travel, as well as spending time with her husband, two adult children and five grandchildren.

Rex David S. Gido, DO
Dr. Gido is a sports medicine specialist in Ithaca and Cortland, N.Y. and has worked at Guthrie since 2021. He graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2016, then did his residency training in family medicine at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at AHN St. Vincent in Erie, Pa.
Dr. Gido is a team physician for the Cornell Men's and Women's basketball teams, as well as the NYCBL Cortland Crush baseball team.
His clinical interests include ultrasound guided procedures, concussion management, and orthobiologic interventions for musculoskeletal issues.

Josh Hodges, CSCS
Josh is the head strength coach at Guthrie Lourdes with over 10 years of experience in both the public and private sectors of strength and conditioning. His background includes coaching youth, high school, collegiate, professional and world champion athletes across field and strength sports. Josh is currently stationed at Maine-Endwell High School.

Nicole M. Hoppes
Nicole is a long-time EMS professional who has dedicated her career to Emergency Services. She began her career in 1998 as an EMT-B, obtained her Critical Care certification in 2000, and completed her Paramedic A.A.S. at SUNY Broome Community College in Fall 2007.
Nicole is passionate about teaching the next generation of providers and has been involved in EMS education since 2004, obtaining her New York State Clinical Instructor Coordinator certification in December 2023. Nicole brings a unique perspective of patient advocacy and an understanding of the mental health aspects of emergency services to the classroom and personalizes the educational aspects of the program to experience-based learning. In Fall 2024, she became the Clinical Coordinator for the Guthrie Lourdes Southern Tier Paramedic Program.
Her career has included leadership positions at agencies that cover an array of populations, and was proud to have been a provider responding to New York City after September 11th. She well-understands the challenges that face EMS agencies and providers both in the local area and globally – and is involved with several initiatives to advocate for continuous improvement in the field.

Julianne Martin, PTA
Julianne received a Bachelor’s in Physical Therapy in 1988 from the University of Buffalo and a Master’s in Arts and Social Sciences from Binghamton University in 2001. She has been a practicing Physical Therapist for 37 years. Julianne has been a Professor in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program for the past 28 years and is now the Chairperson/Program Director of this program. She has a strong background in neuromuscular and musculoskeletal physical therapy (orthopedics). Julianne recently earned a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Curriculum Development Certificate and is a Certified Beegle Poverty Coach. In her spare time, Julianne is the proud mother of four amazing grown men, grandmother to three amazing young people and dog mom to a sweet two-year-old Golden Retriever, Cooper. Her favorite energizer is riding her bicycle, being anywhere in nature (especially near the water) and gardening. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for the fields of Physical Therapy and Health Sciences with you.  

Colin McDonald, DO
Dr. McDonald is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon with Guthrie. He decided to enter the orthopedic field after shadowing as an undergraduate student, and witnessing the impact that even a single surgical procedure can have on a patient's overall quality of life. He is originally from Waverly, N.Y. and enjoys spending time with his family. He also enjoys watching, playing and coaching sports, including baseball, football and wrestling.

Dan Sheffer, MS, ATC, ITAT 
Dan is a BOC certified and New York licensed Athletic Trainer, and is the Lead Athletic Trainer for the Guthrie Lourdes Sports Medicine Program. He has his degree from the College of St. Rose and began working as an educator when he discovered his passion for athletic training. He returned to school and studied Athletic Training at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He worked as an EMT before pursuing a career in Athletic Training. Dan has been practicing in a variety of high school and college settings (Div I, II and III) since 1999 and has been with Guthrie Lourdes since 2015. He has a special interest in injuries and the effect on the kinetic chain. Dan ran competitive cross country and track, and still enjoys running, hiking and biking. Currently, he lives in Vestal with his wife and two children.

Zach Spencer, MS, ATC, PES, ITAT
Zach attended Alfred University for his undergraduate degree in athletic training and has a masters' degree in performance enhancement and injury prevention from California University of Pennsylvania. Zach has been a Certified Athletic Trainer since 2011 and has worked with Guthrie Lourdes since 2018. He has experience in professional hockey as an athletic trainer and worked with college athletes in the past. Currently he is the high school athletic trainer at Greene High School and the head athletic trainer for the Broome County Stallions. Zach is a Certified CPR/first Aid instructor and looks forward to passing on knowledge to all those that are interested. 

Joshua F. VanSteenburg
Joshua is a seasoned EMS professional and educator with nearly two decades of experience in the field. He began his career in Emergency Medical Services in 2005, earned his Paramedic Certificate in Fall 2013 from Broome Community College, and completed his Paramedic A.A.S. from SUNY Broome Community College in Fall 2024.
Joshua has been involved in EMS education since 2017 and became a New York State Certified Instructor Coordinator in Spring 2020. Known for his rigorous and experience-driven teaching style, he is committed to preparing future EMS providers with the skills and mindset required for the realities of the job. In 2022, he became the Clinical Coordinator for the Lourdes Hospital – Southern Tier Paramedic Program and was promoted to Program Director in Spring 2024.
His career has included work in both rural and urban, high-volume commercial EMS agencies, providing him with a broad and practical understanding of the challenges faced across different operational settings.
Joshua is currently completing his Bachelor's degree in Emergency Management at Bellevue University, with graduation expected in August 2025. His ongoing mission is to strengthen public safety and emergency preparedness, while bridging the gap between Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management.

Paul N. Yahner, MPT, FMT-C
Paul has owned and operated Windsor Physical Therapy, PC from its inception in 2005. A graduate of the University of Scranton with a degree as a Master of Physical Therapy, Paul is proud to have made the Greater Binghamton area home. Paul was previously employed as a Physical Therapist by United Health Services, Inc. and Whitney Point Physical Therapy prior to becoming a sole practitioner.