Introduction
Injuries are an inherent part of any athletic activity, whether it is conditioning, weight lifting, practicing, or competing in games. Bexley Athletic Trainers Gail Swisher, Madeline Krebs, and Ryan Ingley from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, work to prevent injuries, evaluate them when they do occur, oversee rehabilitation when it is needed, and ensure safe return to participation for our injured student-athletes. Athletes may stop by the Athletic Training Room to get their expertise when injury needs arise.
Bexley Athletic Training Staff
Gail Swisher, AT, ATC is a certified and licensed Athletic Trainer with Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training from West Chester University in 2001 and subsequently worked as an AT in both the college and high school settings prior to joining NCH. In addition to her duties at Bexley, Gail teaches pediatric resident physicians during their rotations in the NCH Sports Medicine department and also serves as Co-Chair of NCH Sports Med’s Community Outreach Committee. In this role she helps oversee partnerships with several area youth sports organizations. Gail is an American Heart Association BLS Instructor and also serves on the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association Committee for Diversity and Inclusion.
Katie Downing, MS, AT, ATC, is a certified athletic trainer working in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine Department. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training from The Ohio State University in 2022 and went on to complete a graduate assistantship at Troy University, graduating in 2024 with a Master’s Degree in Sport Management. While at Troy, Katie worked primarily with the university’s softball and golf teams. She is currently working as a high school outreach athletic trainer.
Bexley Team Physician
Dr. James MacDonald, MD, MPH, team physician and physician for Nationwide Children’s Sports Medicine, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Family Medicine at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine. Fellowship trained and board certified in sports medicine, Dr.MacDonald is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He attended Harvard Medical School and completed a Family Practice Residency at Maine-Dartmouth in Augusta, Maine, and a Sports Medicine Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts. A member of the USA Swimming Medical Task Force, he is the Deputy Editor of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
