Master of Athletic Training Students Expand Sports Medicine Ministry in Cameroon

Athletic trainers are a familiar presence on stadium sidelines across the United States, but in Cameroon the profession is largely unknown. Cedarville University Master of Athletic Training graduates are helping change that by partnering with Athletes in Action to advance sports medicine education that promotes athletic training as a ministry. 

Helping Develop Athletic Training in Cameroon

Dr. Genna Fusco, assistant professor and clinical education coordinator of athletic training at Cedarville University, recently took Master of Athletic Training graduates to Yaoundé, Cameroon to serve with Athletes in Action, a ministry of Cru. The organization has developed a track and field club that competes throughout Africa while using athletes’ gifts and influence to share the gospel. As participation in the program has expanded, so has the need for trained sports medicine professionals.

Although athletic training is not yet an established profession in Cameroon, Athletes in Action hopes to equip and mentor future sports medicine professionals who can serve in ministry. During the trip, Athletes in Action hosted a symposium at a local university at which Fusco and her students taught evidence-based rehabilitation techniques, injury prevention strategies and holistic patient care. They also met with health care professionals to discuss developing athletic training education and creating long-term opportunities for the profession in Cameroon.

Athletic Training Creates Opportunities for Christian Ministry

Fusco explained that athletic trainers can play a unique role beyond treating injuries. Future athletic trainers, whom Athletes in Action hopes will serve as team chaplains, would be positioned to care for the athletes’ physical recovery and their mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

The opportunity grew out of Fusco’s longstanding involvement with Athletes in Action. She began as a summer intern and joined the ministry’s staff for two and a half years after earning her master’s degree in kinesiology. After leaving the ministry’s staff, Fusco served as a volunteer with Athletes in Action until joining Cedarville University’s faculty in 2022. She served in a variety of settings, including missions and sports ministry opportunities through the Ultimate Training Camp in South Africa and a women’s soccer tour in Canada, where the team competed against universities and clubs throughout the country.

Cedarville Students Gain Global Sports Medicine Experience

As students expressed interest in using athletic training to serve internationally, Fusco began exploring opportunities to take them overseas.

“Ever since I started at Cedarville, students have asked me if the athletic training program would ever offer the chance to serve overseas,” said Fusco. “When I realized that there was opportunity to serve with Athletes in Action, I knew I needed to take a group of students.”

Fusco said she hopes the experience deepened her students’ desire to serve as they discovered how athletic training can become both a profession and a ministry.

“The sports world encompasses nearly everyone, and it won’t be going away,” said Fusco. “As athletic trainers, we have a unique opportunity to share the gospel and care for the spiritual health of our teams just as we care for their physical health. I see our profession as an avenue to share the gospel, to go places, to reach people and to disciple people.”

Graduate Discovers a Broader Vision for Athletic Training

Madelyn Coonan, a 2026 graduate of Cedarville’s Master of Athletic Training program, said seeing the need for athletic trainers in Cameroon expanded her vision for the profession and reinforced how it can be used to serve others.

"I was reminded that to use athletic training as a ministry, you only need to remain faithful to what God is calling you to and to keep a kingdom mindset,” said Coonan. “Whether I'm on a missions trip or working at my job, my objective isn't going to change. I'll keep praying for my athletes and the people I work with, asking God to open doors for spiritual conversations, serving with humility and joyfulness and planting as many seeds as I can.”

Annual Cameroon Trip Could Expand Global Health Care Ministry

Fusco hopes the Cameroon trip will become an annual event for Cedarville’s athletic training program, allowing future students to help develop athletic training in emerging health care systems while experiencing firsthand how sports medicine can create opportunities for service, leadership and Christian ministry around the world.

About Cedarville University

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.