By Lorna Oppedisano
On any given day, Amy Grover is likely juggling multiple worlds at once: checking in with athletic trainers stationed across local high schools, reviewing employee wellness initiatives for hundreds of coworkers, volunteering for a variety of nonprofits, and carving out time – before most people are awake – for her own health. It’s a routine built on intention, one that mirrors both her professional training and her volunteer life. At its core is a simple philosophy: learn everything you can, then share it generously.
Originally from Ithaca, Amy has lived in the Central New York area for the past 13 years, building a career that sits at the intersection of healthcare, education and prevention. At Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS) she serves in a dual role of Sports Medicine Coordinator and employee Wellness Program Coordinator, while also dedicating countless volunteer hours to the American Heart Association and other community organizations.
Amy is an athletic trainer by profession – a role she is quick to define clearly.
“Athletic trainers are health care providers,” she said. “We actually just got our licensure from New York State.”
That licensure, she explained, provides long-overdue title protection for a field that has often been misunderstood.
Her path into athletic training began with her own participation in high school sports and a desire to work in health care. Athletic training offered what she describes as “a perfect blend,” combining hands-on medical care with fast-paced environments focused on injury prevention, recognition, treatment and rehabilitation.
Because of the profession’s name, athletic trainers are often confused with personal trainers, a distinction Amy is used to addressing.
“We’re much more similar to a PT than a personal trainer,” she clarified.
Athletic trainers are required to earn a master’s degree, pass a national exam and practice under physician supervision. The main difference lies in scope: athletic trainers focus primarily on athletic-related injuries, while physical therapists work across a broader patient population.
Amy briefly explored physical therapy while in school, but the clinical setting wasn’t the best fit.
“It was too slow for me,” she said. “It’s very predictable.”
Athletic training, on the other hand, offered constant unpredictability.
“When you’re on the sidelines of either a practice or a game, anything goes,” she said. “You have to be ready for literally everything.”
That responsibility extends far beyond emergency response. Amy said one of the most meaningful aspects of the profession is the relationships athletic trainers develop with athletes over time. Because athletic trainers are present day in and day out, they often become trusted adults – people athletes confide in when they’re struggling physically or emotionally.
Although Amy no longer works full-time in school settings, she oversees athletic trainers contracted out to schools through SOS. Many of them work with the same students for four years or more, watching them grow and recover from injuries that can sideline them for months.
Her current role at SOS is split between sports medicine operations and employee wellness. While sports medicine takes up most of her time, the wellness program has become one of her most meaningful projects.
The program serves roughly 650 to 700 employees, with about a third participating. Employees earn “wellness points” for activities that support their health, which translate into financial incentives.
What Amy values most is the program’s inclusivity.
“What I’m most proud of is that it’s always been very holistic,” she said. “They can get the maximum number of wellness points and the maximum award without ever stepping foot into a gym.”
That focus on whole-person health introduced Amy to community health organizations, including the American Heart Association. Her initial involvement came through organizing a team for the association’s Heart Walk. From there, she began implementing the Check It Challenge, a free blood pressure self-monitoring program, within SOS.
Her work caught the attention of American Heart Association’s staff, particularly then-Community Impact Director Lisa Neff.
“She loved how I was implementing it at SOS,” Amy said. That led to invitations to share her experience with other organizations and eventually to join the organization’s Community Action Committee. Soon after, she was asked to co-chair and then eventually join the board.
“I’ve always said, it’s been so easy to volunteer with the American Heart Association because of the staff,” she said, explaining that their passion and support made saying yes feel natural.
Today, Amy chairs the Leadership Development Committee, which supports campaign leaders for initiatives like the Heart Walk and Go Red for Women, while also focusing on board recruitment and development.
While Amy does have a family history of heart disease – her maternal grandfather died of a heart attack at 49 – she shared that is not what drives her involvement.
“It’s genuinely not my why,” she said. Instead, she is motivated by education and shared stories. “I’ve always been someone who really, really, really, really loves learning and sharing.”
That passion is especially evident in her work around CPR education. Amy is a certified instructor who trains SOS staff, community members and the public.
“‘Creating a Nation of Lifesavers’ is one of the main things of the Heart Association,” she said.
Teaching CPR felt like an easy place to step in, allowing her to share skills she already used professionally with a broader audience.
Amy has also become a dedicated advocate, traveling to Albany to meet with legislators both for her profession and for the American Heart Association.
“I love advocating,” she said. “You’re their constituents. They want to talk to you.”
For her, advocacy is about sharing stories and expertise, not confrontation.
“Who doesn’t love talking about stuff that they love, right?” she added.
Outside of the American Heart Association, Amy volunteers with United Way of Central New York’s Women United Steering Committee, serves on the board of Syracuse Grows, is on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the New York State Athletic Trainers Association and is wrapping up a term with the Syracuse Onondaga Food System Alliance. She is also an alumna of Leadership Greater Syracuse and continues to serve on its interview committee.
At home, Amy prioritizes her own health with the same intention she brings to her work. She exercises every morning, makes sure to get a good night’s sleep, journals regularly, and focuses on strength training – a necessity as a mother of two, including a five-year-old daughter with Rett syndrome.
“I’ve always prioritized taking care of myself, so that I’m able to give to others,” she said. For Amy, that longevity is personal; it means being able to care for her daughter for as long as possible.
When asked about her “why,” Amy returned to the idea of impacting others, explaining that she likes to share anything she herself absorbs. She sees that sharing as a way to create opportunity for others, in the same way mentors and colleagues once did for her.
“I want other people to know the opportunities for them,” Amy said. “And then that makes it fun to do all these things because the sharing is like giving back.”
For more information about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org.
