Profile: Jenn Novak - USCAH
Mia White
Mar 8, 2023
Jenn Novak (she/her), is currently the Vice President of U.S. Council for Athletes' Health (USCAH). However, she has always been passionate about bout all-things sport related.
“I became interested in Athletic Training my first year of college. I had played sports in high school and I knew that whatever I did, I wanted to stay connected to sports. In one of my first meetings with an advisor, I was encouraged to pick a major and landed on Athletic Training. I graduated from Kent State University in 2004 and proceeded to get my master’s degree from Ohio State University (OSU) in 2007,” said Novak.
Novak was working at Ohio State University as a Certified Athletic Trainer when she first got involved at USCAH. Through some of her assigned administrative tasks at OSU, she developed a skillset for creating and revising policies and procedures, emergency action plans, and other institutional documents.
This skillset connected her with Dr. Jim Borchers, who was the Head Team Physician at the time (and is a Co-Founder and the President of USCAH now). Once USCAH was founded, Dr.Borchers found Novak’s skillset valuable for the company and she began part-time work with USCAH. In 2019, the company and its demands were growing so she was asked to start at USCAH full-time.
Are there any challenges that come with your role?
“I oversee all of our projects on a daily basis. I wouldn’t say I/we have “challenges” because I love what we are doing here,” said Novak, “I think the flexibility of what we do is the best part. There are so many different things that our company does and can offer. All of these things aim to make health and safety a priority for every athlete at every level. I love that we have the tools to help in so many different ways.”
How do you handle challenges that may come up professionally?
“Just one at a time. I have an innate need to stay organized, sometimes to extremes. We have a long list of projects so prioritizing all of them so that they do not become “challenges” is important,” said Novak, “Our main goals at this point are to market our products and continue to educate on health and safety for every sport at every level.”
What are your thoughts on the NJCAAE and how long have you known about the org?
“We have known about the NJCAAE since its founding in 2019 via Jeff White’s relationship with our founder Jim Borchers. It is truly an incredible organization that we are so excited to be partners with. We are even more excited about the growth potential,” said Novak, “[Esports] is absolutely incredible! The rate at which it is growing is astonishingly impressive!”
Whether it be in 6 months or in 6 years from now, Novak hopes to be doing what she is doing now. Novak expressed that the mission and vision of USCAH is one she very much shares.
“I know that we can (and will) make a HUGE impact on the lives of student-athletes through improved health and safety education, policies, procedures, and training,” said Novak.
Outside of all things sports, Novak has a twin sister who she says is her “very best friend.” She also enjoys arts, crafts, refurbishing furniture, and exploring her creativity with different projects. Novak loves the outdoors and has a puppy who enjoys nature with her in her free time.