The John “Doc” Baxter Athletic Training and Human Performance Lab

Emporia State University is renovating, re-imagining and re-equipping the existing athletic training and human performance labs, transforming them into a modernized, multi-use lab space for learning. The new lab will increase space for hands-on instruction, provide students with an array of new equipment and better prepare graduates for positions in a competitive field.

The new lab will optimize the square footage and provide more space for faculty and students to work alongside one another. Using state-of-the-art equipment, faculty will instruct students how to measure bone density and body composition, conduct metabolic and cardiorespiratory testing, perform blood analyses and measure metabolic biomarkers. These resources will allow students to develop and practice professional skills. The new lab will expand their opportunities to work with university and community populations in activities like health fairs, fitness testing and triathlon training groups.

The new lab is named in honor of the late John “Doc” Baxter, ESU’s head athletic trainer and instructor from 1966 to 2012. The renovations and equipment have been made possible by the support of donors, with lead gifts from Pam Baxter, Rainer and Julie Martens and The Sunderland Foundation.

The John “Doc” Baxter Athletic Training and Human Performance Lab will open in the spring of 2023.