As intercollegiate athletics takes an increasingly comprehensive look at well-being, Howard University has created the new position of associate athletics director for Student-Athlete Health, Wellness and Performance. The hiring of Collin Francis for this position is part of a broader holistic approach to student-athlete care and optimal performance.
Francis, who was appointed by Howard Director of Athletics Kery Davis, will oversee all aspects of student-athlete health and wellness, from nutrition to mental health. He credited Davis for moving Howard into a high-performance model.
“[Kery Davis] has created a structure based on innovation and creativity that allows the department to move in this direction,” said Francis. “The holistic approach to medicine is the future. Each division of this department—sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, and mental health and performance—is pivotal to the student-athlete experience and success.”
Francis has spent more than a decade as an athletic trainer in both the collegiate and professional ranks. He has also worked with USA Swimming and founded the Baltimore Area Sports Health Initiative, a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing the health care of athletes. He is originally from Prince George’s County, Maryland (right outside of Washington, D.C.) and is quite familiar with Howard.
“The ability to come back and give to the amazing student-athletes that are here really excites me,” said Francis. “The staff of clinicians in all of these departments are rock stars … and they’re fun to work with.”
With the landscape of intercollegiate athletics changing over the past few years due to name, image, and likeness (NIL) as well as the transfer portal, Francis said it is incumbent on athletic departments to provide student-athletes with the resources they need to flourish athletically and personally.
“We have to be able to adapt,” Francis said. “We have to stay at the cutting edge of our craft and our field because the athletes are always getting better at staying at the top of their games.”
This includes addressing stresses that have previously not been identified. Mental health from both counseling and performance standpoints is now being prioritized. “For far too long, that aspect of athletics was ignored, but now it’s being embraced,” he said. Francis praised sports psychotherapist Dr. Lisa Daniels for her work counseling Howard’s student-athletes as well as providing team consults.
“My main job is to enhance the student-athlete experience for every student-athlete,” said Francis, who noted that fall sports are in play. “We’re rolling here at Howard.”
