Robert A Huggins

Robert A Huggins
University of Connecticut | UConn · Department of Kinesiology

PhD

About

163
Publications
24,849
Reads
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2,032
Citations
Introduction
I supervise, manage, and coordinate many of the research initiatives currently conducted by KSI. My focus is on two major areas of research, athlete health and safety and athlete performance. From an athlete performance perspective, my interests include heat illness prevention, thermoregulation, hydration, monitoring physiological biomarkers, exercise stress, training load and injury prevention in soccer, football, and elite endurance athletes. I have clinical experience at mass medical events such as the Falmouth Road Race, Boston Marathon, and Marine Corps Marathon where I've saved the lives of over 50 cases of exertional heat stroke.
Additional affiliations
June 2017 - October 2020
Korey Stringer Institute University of Connecticut
Position
  • CEO
August 2008 - July 2010
Sacred Heart Univeristy
Position
  • Head Athletic Trainer for Club Sports
January 2014 - August 2015
University of Connecticut
Position
  • Managing Director
Education
August 2010 - May 2014
University of Connecticut
Field of study
  • Exercise Science
June 2007 - July 2008
University of Virginia
Field of study
  • Athletic Training
August 2003 - May 2007
University of Connecticut
Field of study
  • Athletic Training

Publications

Publications (163)
Article
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This document is intended to serve as a call to action for all youth sport NGBs to provide support systems for member organizations through the education of league leaders and their members on the current policy and procedure best practices regarding EAPs, SCA, brain and neck injury, EHS, and other potentially threatening medical conditions (Append...
Article
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To compare mean differences in core body temperature (T(core)) as assessed via rectal thermometry (T(re)) and aural thermometry (T(au)) in hyperthermic exercising individuals. Data Sources: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library in English from the earliest entry points to August 2009 using the search terms aural, core body...
Article
When athletes, warfighters, and laborers perform intense exercise in the heat, the risk of exertional heat stroke (EHS) is ever present. The recent data regarding the fatalities due to EHS within the confines of organized American sport are not promising: during the past 35 years, the highest number of deaths in a 5-year period occurred from 2005 t...
Article
In the sport of triathlon the isolated and combined effects of swimming, biking, and running present extreme physiological stress and occasionally, these stressors overwhelm the human body resulting in death. Research suggests the average incidence-rate of triathlon-related deaths is 1.5 per 100,000 participants. Though the overall incidence rate o...
Article
Ultramarathon open water swimming (OWS) events are one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world. The sport has gained notoriety with athletes swimming across the English Channel, Diana Nyad swimming from Cuba to Florida, and the 5- and 10-km OWS in the Olympic schedule. The athletes who participate are exposed to dangerous conditions that...
Article
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Context California is the only state that does not regulate the athletic training profession, allowing unqualified personnel to be hired and call themselves athletic trainers. The benefits of employing a certified athletic trainer in the secondary school setting are numerous but efforts to push regulation legislation continue to fail in California....
Article
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Background Maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ) is an important determinant of endurance performance. Heat acclimation/acclimatization (HA/HAz) elicits improvements in endurance performance. Upon heat exposure reduction, intermittent heat training (IHT) may alleviate HA/HAz adaptation decay; however, corresponding VO 2max responses are unknown. Hypoth...
Article
Purpose: Our broad aim was to identify targetable mechanisms of improving skeletal muscle function and recovery during exercise-heat stress. In this study, we used proteomics to test the hypothesis that skeletal muscle proteomic changes would correspond to acclimation state. Methods: Healthy men (M: n = 7, 22 ± 2 yo, VO 2 max 52.86 ± 2.35 ml·kg ⁻¹...
Article
Purpose: Our broad aim was to elucidate the relationship between gut microbiome (gMB) and heat tolerance/acclimation. In this study, we hypothesized that the gMB is affected by acute exercise-heat stress/acclimation and is biologically sex-specific. Methods: Physically active men (M: n=10, 21±2yo, VO 2 max 51.8±6.6mL ⁻¹ ·kg ⁻¹ ·min ⁻¹ ) and women (...
Article
Assess the effectiveness of three cooling strategies during a 10-min break vs. no break or no cooling on internal body temperature responses during an intermittent treadmill exercise simulating the intensity of a tennis match. Twelve physically active females (mean ± SD; age, 26 ± 3 years; height, 167.0 ± 4.8 cm; body mass, 58.2 ± 4.2 kg; VO2peak 4...
Article
BACKGROUND: Sports- and recreation-related concussions impact the cognitive function of secondary school students during the recovery process. They can cause symptoms such as headache, difficulty concentrating, and memory impairment, which pose a challenge for students during the return to learn (RTL) after injury. Concussion management teams (CMTs...
Article
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Context Geographic disparities exist in trauma care (i.e., “trauma center desert”) within the United States. An athletic trainer (AT) on-site at secondary schools (SSs) may help enhance collaboration with emergency medical systems and potentially lead to better outcomes following catastrophic injuries. However, access to AT services relative to the...
Article
Context: Falmouth Road Race experiences high a number of exertional heat stroke (EHS) cases. Objective: The purpose of this paper was to extend previous analyses of EHS cases at the Falmouth Road Race by assessing or describing 1) EHS and heat exhaustion (HE) incidence rates, 2) EHS outcomes as they relate to survival, 3) the impact of the envir...
Article
Return to learn (RTL) is the individualized process of coordinating cognitive care and reintegration for students into the academic setting after any sport and recreational-related concussion (SRRC). The guidelines for RTL are based on empirical evidence, however, implementation differs by institution. The purpose of the policy analysis is to evalu...
Article
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Carbon fiber insoles (CFIs) may benefit performance in elite athletes, however, their use in moderately active individuals has been adopted without evidence supporting such enhancements in this population. Fifteen male subjects performed vertical jump (VJ) and repeat treadmill sprint tests before and after a VO2peak while wearing 1) CFIs and 2) con...
Article
Purpose: To optimize sample processing workflow, test the hypothesis that sweat proteome expression is expansive and stress-specific, and to discover novel sweat biomarkers able to detect heat stress exposure and acclimation state. Methods: Men and women (n=5, 25.7±4.5 yrs, 66.7±10.5 kg, 69±4 inches, VO2max 49.5±4 ml×kg-1 ×min-1) completed 7 bouts...
Article
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Context: Having athletic trainers (ATs) employed at secondary schools is associated with improved preparedness for sport-related emergencies. The use of emergency medical services (EMS) in settings with different access to athletic training services remains unknown. Objective: To compare the incidence of EMS activations for patients with sport-r...
Article
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Background: In sporting and combat settings, optimal fluid replacement is rarely achieved, exacerbating physiological strain. It is unknown if prescribed fluid replacement following exercise in heat impacts heart rate variability (HRV). Purpose: Compare prescribed drinking (PD) and ad libitum (AL) fluid replacement on HRV following exercise in heat...
Article
Context Having athletic trainers (ATs) employed at secondary schools is associated with improved preparedness for sport-related emergencies. Utilization of emergency medical services (EMS) with different access to athletic training services remains unknown. Objective Compare the incidence of EMS activations for sport-related injuries between zip-c...
Article
Full-text available
Background Literature examining emergency medical services (EMS) activations for sport-related injuries is limited to the pediatric, high school, and collegiate student-athlete populations, excluding older individuals and recreational athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine EMS activations for sport-related injuries using the National EM...
Article
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Context Athletic training is a multi-faceted profession characterized by interpersonal relationships and a team approach to care. Collaborative relationships, by nature, open the door for conflict, which has been reported frequently in the collegiate athletic setting. However, secondary school athletic trainers' (ATs') experiences with conflict and...
Article
Introduction: The U.S. Air Force (USAF) Basic Military Training (BMT), a rigorous training program for all enlisted members of the USAF, trains roughly 36,000 recruits annually. Transforming civilians into ready warrior airmen has inherent risks to trainee health, which has infrequently included death. While the average death rate at USAF BMT has...
Article
Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common phenomenon in the United States, with up to 3.6 million sport-related mTBIs diagnosed annually. Return to learn protocols have been developed to facilitate the reintegration of students into school after mTBI, however, the implementation of return to learn protocols varies significantly a...
Article
Full-text available
Millions of consumer sport and fitness wearables (CSFWs) are used worldwide, and millions of datapoints are generated by each device. Moreover, these numbers are rapidly growing, and they contain a heterogeneity of devices, data types, and contexts for data collection. Companies and consumers would benefit from guiding standards on device quality a...
Article
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Objective Minority student-athletes have a lower survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) than non-minority student-athletes. This study examined the relationship between high school indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) and survival in student-athletes with exercise-related SCA. Methods High school student-athletes in the USA with exerci...
Article
Background The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of heat acclimatization (HAz) followed by heat acclimation (HA), and intermittent heat training (IHT) on time-trial performance. Hypothesis Time-trial performance will improve after HA and will further improve with twice a week of IHT. Study Design Interventional study. Level of Evi...
Article
Objectives To examine the efficacy of weekly and bi-weekly heat training to maintain heat acclimatization (HAz) and heat acclimation (HA) for 8 weeks in aerobically trained athletes. Design Randomized, between-group. Methods Twenty-four males (mean [m ± standard deviation [sd]; (age, 34 ± 12 y; body mass, 72.6 ± 8.8 kg, VO2peak, 57.7±6.8 ml·kg⁻¹·...
Article
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Abstract The purpose of this consensus document was to develop feasible, evidence‐based occupational heat safety recommendations to protect the US workers that experience heat stress. Heat safety recommendations were created to protect worker health and to avoid productivity losses associated with occupational heat stress. Recommendations were tail...
Article
Background Multiteam, multi-institution prospective studies of both women’s and men’s sports are essential for collectively investigating injury and primary to the generalization and individualization of injury prevention strategies. Hypothesis Characteristics of workload, sleep, and contextual factors will be associated with injury risk in colleg...
Article
Austin, AB, Collins, SM, Huggins, RA, Smith, BA, and Bowman, TG. The impact of environmental conditions on player loads during preseason training sessions in women's soccer athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Our objective was to determine the impact of environmental conditions on player loads during preseason training sessions in wo...
Article
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The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of heat acclimatization (HAz) followed by heat acclimation (HA) on physiological adaptations. 25 male endurance athletes (age 36 ± 12 y, height 178.8 ± 6.39 cm, body mass 73.03 ± 8.97 kg, and VO2peak 57.5 ± 7.0 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed HAz and HA. HAz was 3 months of self-directed summer tra...
Article
Sekiguchi, Y, Curtis, RM, Huggins, RA, Benjamin, CL, Walker, AJ, Arent, SM, Adams, WM, Anderson, T, and Casa, DJ. The relationships between perceived wellness of, sleep of, and acute: chronic training load on National Collegiate Athletics Association division I male soccer players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-The purpose of this study...
Article
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Context: The Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) Annual Report suggests there are differences in athletic trainer (AT) employment status on the basis of geographic locale. However, the influence of geographic locale and the school size on AT employment is undetermined. Objective: To describe if differences exist in the odds of having A...
Article
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Background and Objectives: Exertional heat stroke (EHS) survivors may be more susceptible to subsequent EHS; however, the occurrence of survivors with subsequent EHS episodes is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of participants with repeated EHS (EHS-2+) cases in a warm-weather road race across participatio...
Article
Huggins, RA, Giersch, GEW, Belval, LN, Benjamin, CL, Curtis, RM, Sekiguchi, Y, Peltonen, J, and Casa, DJ. The validity and reliability of GPS units for measuring distance and velocity during linear and team sport simulated movements. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-This experimental study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of shi...
Article
Background Sleep and mood are critical factors that contribute to health and wellness and are of particular interest to collegiate athletes who are juggling high physical, academic, and social demands. The aim of this study was to examine how psychological measures, player status, and sex-related factors were associated with perceived sleep quality...
Chapter
Thermoregulation includes many physiological, molecular/cellular, and genetic mechanisms that are highlighted in Chap. 2. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of thermal tolerance (on a whole-body level) and relationships to EHS (exertional heat stroke) susceptibility include pathways associated with immune, endocrine, antioxidant, metabolic, skeletal...
Article
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Context Previous researchers determined that 67% of US secondary schools had access to athletic trainer (AT) services (35% full time [FT] and 30% part time [PT]) in 52% of the 20 272 secondary schools. The population-based statistic is yet to be determined. Objective To determine the level of AT services and employment status in US secondary schoo...
Article
Curtis, RM, Huggins, RA, Benjamin, CL, Sekiguchi, Y, Adams, WM, Arent, SM, Jain, R, Miller, SJ, Walker, AJ, and Casa, DJ. Contextual factors influencing external and internal training loads in collegiate men's soccer. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-This study investigated factors influencing training loads (TL) in collegiate men's soccer....
Article
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Context: Athletic trainers (ATs) provide invaluable sports medicine services to the secondary schools (SS). With SS interscholastic athletic participation on the rise, and large numbers of adolescents participating in these sports, SSs are being encouraged to employ certified ATs to ensure their student-athletes (SAs) are receiving proper medical c...
Article
Curtis, RM, Huggins, RA, Benjamin, CL, Sekiguchi, Y, Arent, S, Armwald, B, Pullara, JM, West, CA, and Casa, DJ. Seasonal accumulated workloads in collegiate men's soccer: a comparison of starters and reserves. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The purpose of this investigation was to quantify and compare player's season total-, match-, and t...
Article
Full-text available
Personalized hydration strategies play a key role in optimizing the performance and safety of athletes during sporting activities. Clinicians should be aware of the many physiological, behavioral, logistical and psychological issues that determine both the athlete’s fluid needs during sport and his/her opportunity to address them; these are often s...
Article
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Purpose: Athletic training student aides (SA) are minors in high school that participate in an athletic training experience under the supervision of secondary school athletic trainers (SSAT). The NATA published an official statement on the proper supervision of SAs related to task allowance. As SSATs may also supervise athletic training students (A...
Presentation
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Context: Training load (TL) is proposed to influence injury risk by altering mod-ifiable risk factors. Neuromuscular control (NMC) is a known risk factor for injury that is modulated by other intrinsic factors, such as fatigue. While both NMC and TL are independently related to musculoskeletal injury risk, the relationship between NMC and TL remain...
Article
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Context: Venue-specifi c emergency action plans (EAPs) are integral components of preventing catastrophic injury and sudden death in sports, yet vary widely between secondary school (SS) athletics programs. Along with SS athletic trainers (ATs), physician standing orders oversee the health and safety of SS student-athletes, including the creation o...
Article
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Context: Defining the value of athletic trainers (ATs) within the secondary school setting has become an important focus of the National Athletic Trainer's Association and spurred the creation of the Secondary School Value Model. While this resource is available to ATs, little is known regarding its use and effectiveness in achieving its intended g...
Article
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Context: Student-athletes competing at the secondary-school level often lack appropriate medical care during participation in school sponsored athletic programs. Athletic trainers (ATs) are quali-fied healthcare professionals that can fi ll this role. Previous literature has identified barriers to hiring ATs in this setting, however the rationale s...
Article
Full-text available
Context: Defi ning the value of athletic trainers (ATs) within the secondary school setting has become an important focus of the National Athletic Trainer's Association and spurred the creation of the Secondary School Value Model. While this resource is available to ATs, little is known regarding its use and effectiveness in achieving its intended...
Article
Full-text available
Context: Previous research examining exertional heat stroke (EHS) at the Falmouth Road Race (FRR) has reported 100% survival with prompt recognition via rectal thermometry and treatment via whole body cold water immersion (CWI). With increased participation rates in road races and marathons, it is imperative that medical personnel understand the up...
Article
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Context: Secondary school (SS) athletic trainers (ATs) employment type, setting, and time spent completing tasks remains unquantified. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between time spent on job-related tasks in SS ATs by employment type and employment setting. Methods: SS ATs who completed the Athletic Training Locations and Ser...
Article
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Context: Previous research nationwide has determined 66% of secondary schools (SSs) have access to athletic training (AT) services. In the state of Florida, 70% of SSs have access to AT services. A lack of funding has been identifi ed as a key barrier to the hiring of an AT by SS administrators however, the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on h...
Article
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Context: Research quantifying athletic trainer (AT) services has determined that 75% of secondary schools (SSs) have access to AT services in states within the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (EATA). SS administrators in schools without AT services have determined that a lack of funding was a key barrier to the provision of AT services and f...
Article
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Objective: To present the appropriate medical care standards for organizations that sponsor athletic activities for secondary school-aged athletes. Data sources: To develop the current standards and identify current best-practices evidence, the task force used a multistep process that included reviewing the existing 2004 Appropriate Medical Care...
Article
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Context: Implementation of health and safety best practices for the leading causes of sudden death and catastrophic injury has been shown to mitigate risk. However, to our knowledge, no authors have examined progress toward health and safety policy implementation at the state level. Objective: To investigate the progress made by state secondary...
Article
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Context: Sudden death in sport at the high school and collegiate levels has been described extensively in the literature. However, few epidemiologic data exist on the incidence of sudden death specifically in American youth sport before secondary school athletics. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of sudden death in organized youth sports...
Article
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Exertional heat illness (EHI) risk is a serious concern among athletes, laborers, and warfighters. US Governing organizations have established various activity modification guidelines (AMGs) and other risk mitigation plans to help ensure the health and safety of their workers. The extent of metabolic heat production and heat gain that ensue from th...
Article
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There is currently a limited understanding of the value of athletic trainers (ATs) working in the secondary school setting. Therefore, our objective was to explore high school athletic directors’ perceptions of an AT’s roles and services and the means in which those perceptions are established, specifically as they relate to the value of ATs. A qua...