Athletic Trainers Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman, and Lauren Crawford honored for their actions with Men’s Basketball
In photo, Front row: Athletic trainers and award honorees Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman, and Lauren Crawford with Thu Nguyen-Knowles (executive director of clinical operations, USC Student Health) Back row: Dr. Mildred Wenger (co-medical director, USC Student Health), Coach Andy Enfield (head coach, Men’s Basketball), Dr. Sarah Van Orman (chief health officer, USC Student Health), Ky Kugler (CATA president), Russ Romano, (director of operations, Athletic Medicine Dept. of USC Student Health) Seth Gamradt, MD, orthopaedic surgeon with Keck Medicine, associate professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery with the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and director of athletic medicine at the University of Southern California
Credit: USC Photo/Ling Luo
April 10, 2023 — A medical emergency during a sports event is something no one hopes for; but this year, when a student-athlete suffered a cardiac event during a men’s basketball practice, three athletic trainers from USC Student Health’s Athletic Medicine team – Jon Yonamine MS, ATC, CES; Erin Tillman MS, ATC; and Lauren Crawford Med, ATC, LAT – jumped into action and responded within critical minutes to provide life-saving care.
For this outstanding accomplishment in the practice of medicine, all three were honored with the 2023 Life Saver Award from the California Athletic Trainers’ Association (CATA) in the Galen Center Hall of Fame.
“Excellence in the care of our student-athletes, especially in their competitive pursuits at the university, are the core of our mission,” says Seth Gamradt, MD, associate professor of clinical orthopedic surgery and director of athletic medicine at the University of
As medical professionals, USC’s athletic trainers are prepared for every situation that might impact a student athlete’s health and ability to perform at their highest level.
“Just like with recent events like we saw with Damar Hamlin (of the Buffalo Bills) on Monday Night Football, you saw a coordinated effort, everyone knowing what their role was,” says Ky Kugler, CATA president, as he presented the award, “This place, this university, has always had a special place in my heart, because things here are done the right way. It shows the commitment that these professionals have, in terms of their continuing education, they are true health care providers.”
Russ Romano, director of operations for athletic medicine, also spoke at the ceremony, sharing, “We understand the emergency action plan…if and when we ever have to do it, we just hope that we step up and do it correctly, and we certainly did. You all did an amazing job and I couldn’t be more proud.”
As an integrated team within USC Student Health, part of Keck Medicine of USC, the Athletic Medicine program is a part of every USC Athletics team sport, including practices, games, and everything in between. Athletic Medicine provides all aspects of student athlete care, from routine physicals, to injury prevention and care, post-game recovery, orthopedic medicine specialist care, therapies, and nutrition services.
“The medical profession doesn’t get a lot of credit sometimes,” says Andy Enfield, head coach of USC Men’s Basketball, “but the doctors and trainers behind the scenes, they do incredible work, and they’re so vital to not only our team, but every team here at USC.”
