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 increases space for hands-on instruction, provides students with an array of new equipment and better prepares graduates for positions in a competitive field.

The new lab optimizes the square footage and provides more space for faculty and students to work together. 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 expands 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 opened in the fall of 2024.