Melissa Russell is in her second year as the assistant athletic trainer for UTPA, assisting Head Athletic Trainer Jim Lancaster with coverage of all 14 NCAA Division I athletic teams at UTPA.  She serves as the primary athletic trainer for women's basketball in addition to serving as the department's rehabilitation specialist, developing and conducting rehabilitation sessions for all Bronc and Lady Bronc student-athletes.  Russell is also the senior women's administrator for the Athletic Department.
    Russell came to Pan Am from The University of Alabama where she was a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Crimson Tide.  While at Alabama, her responsibilities included primary coverage of the women’s soccer team, maintenance of the athletic training room and the organization of medical records for over 320 student-athletes.  She also provided supervision and clinical instruction to undergraduate student athletic trainers in Alabama's CAAHEP accredited athletic training education program.  Russell earned her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Alabama in 1999.
    Prior to her time at Alabama, Russell was an intern in the athletic training department at The University of Houston where she worked primarily with the swimming and diving and tennis teams.  She received her bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences from The University of Florida while working as an athletic trainer for Vanguard High School in Ocala, Florida.
    Russell has worked with the United States Youth Soccer Association's Olympic Development Program for three years, serving as Medical Director for the Region III camp in 1998. She has also provided outreach medical coverage for interscholastic athletic events throughout West Alabama as a Sports Medicine Representative for DCH Regional Medical Center.
    Russell is a licensed athletic trainer through the Texas Department of Health as well as a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association.   She is a native of West Palm Beach, Florida.