Bob Tarpey spent 20 years building a career in professional baseball's medical world, working his way up through the Blue Jays, Mets, and Angels organizations before finally reaching the Major League level this year. Along the way, he earned Midwest League and Eastern League Athletic Trainer of the Year honors, was named PBATS Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year, and represented the World Team as ATC at the MLB Futures Game.

In this episode, Bob joins Inside Athletic Training to talk about his path from a Carolina Mudcats internship in 2002 to Director of Minor League Medical for two different organizations, and what it's actually been like stepping into a Major League clubhouse for the first time. He shares what prepared him for the jump, what surprised him, and what two decades in the game taught him that no amount of experience could have fully prepared him for.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

The Research Rundown continues with Episode 6, where host Joe Rauch (Philadelphia Phillies) sits down with Jacob Newburn (Texas Rangers) to unpack one of the hottest trends on the training room floor: red light therapy. From wearable clothing, and infrared saunas, red and near-infrared light have exploded into the recovery space — but what's actually happening at the cellular level? Drawing on his co-authored research for PBATS, Newburn breaks down the wavelengths that matter, how photobiomodulation actually works, what the data shows on pain, inflammation, and DOMS, and how athletic trainers can separate credible products from the noise.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we sit down with Derek Lawrance, Assistant Athletic Trainer for the United States Men's National Team. Derek just came off one of the most intense and high-profile assignments any athletic trainer in the country could have — serving on the medical staff for the U.S. squad during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted right here on American soil. From the preparation and logistics of keeping elite international players healthy through a tournament of that magnitude, to the pressure and adrenaline of working on the biggest stage in global sports, Derek takes us inside what that experience was really like. We also dig into his career in professional soccer, how he got to the national team level, and what the day-to-day demands of working in professional soccer look like for an athletic trainer.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

Kevin Rand's career in professional baseball spans over four decades. He started with the New York Yankees organization as a minor league athletic trainer in 1982, spent nearly a decade with the Florida Marlins, and had a brief stop with the Montreal Expos before landing with the Detroit Tigers in 2002, where he'd spend the next 20 years, first as Head Athletic Trainer, then as Senior Director of Medical Services.

In this episode, Kevin looks back on his journey through the game, from breaking in with the Yankees in the 1980s to two decades helping run the medical program in Detroit. He shares some of his favorite stories and stadiums from a career in the dugout, talks about his recent experience at the World Baseball Classic, and gives his perspective on how athletic training has changed since he started and where the profession is headed next.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we sit down with Mike Reinold, one of the most recognized names in sports medicine and athletic training. Mike spent years as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Boston Red Sox, where he was part of a championship organization and worked with some of the best athletes in the game. Since leaving the dugout, he has built one of the most respected platforms in the profession as an author, podcaster, and owner of Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in the Boston area.

Mike brings a perspective that is rare in this field. He has worked at the highest level of professional baseball, transitioned that experience into private practice, and spent years educating and mentoring the next generation of athletic trainers and physical therapists through his content and courses. This is a conversation about what it takes to excel in the profession, what life looks like after pro sports, and how to build something that lasts beyond your time on the field.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we're joined by Joe Rogowski and Dr. Matthew Martinez to talk about the growing role of sports cardiology in professional athletics and the work Athletic Heart is doing to change how teams approach cardiac screening. Athletic Heart was built to deliver advanced cardiovascular tools and technologies specifically engineered for the demands of sports medicine — from EKG and echocardiogram protocols to certification resources for the clinicians who perform them. Joe and Dr. Martinez discuss why cardiac screening in professional sports has historically fallen short, how Athletic Heart is working alongside athletic trainers, team physicians, and cardiologists to close that gap, and what a more comprehensive, data-driven approach to heart health looks like at the elite level.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

Youth arm health has become one of the most pressing concerns in baseball, and this episode dives straight into it. We're joined by Dave Yeager, longtime Athletic Trainer for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Jeff Weems, founder of PitchKount, a platform built to help track pitch counts and reduce overuse injuries in young players.

Dave and Jeff break down the risks tied to early sports specialization, what the data shows about youth arm injuries, and how PitchKount is attempting to tackle a problem that traditional tracking methods have struggled to solve. Whether you're a parent, coach, or athletic trainer, this conversation offers a clearer picture of how to protect young arms before the damage is done.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.

Dr. Matthew Ithurburn, Director of Clinical Research at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Alabama, joins us to talk about the research shaping the future of sports medicine.

Dr. Ithurburn leads ASMI's clinical research team, working alongside Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center on outcomes studies, longitudinal research, and surgical and biologic clinical trials.

We dig into what this research means for athletic trainers on the ground, how it's translating into better outcomes for athletes, and where the next breakthroughs in injury prevention and recovery might come from.

For more information about PBATS and athletic training, visit pbats.com.