Laura Miele, PhD, CST-2, is a Sport, Fitness, and Education Expert with over 30 years of experience in various aspects of sport, fitness, and physical activity including the education, training, and supervision of athletes. Dr. Miele is a Nationally Certified Accredited Interscholastic Coach through the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) and has 14 years of physical education experience, (Pre-kindergarten-12) within multiple states across the country.
Background Experience - Dr. Miele played Division I basketball at Arizona State; was Tight End for the Arizona Caliente, of the Women’s Professional Football League; and was also a New York Golden Gloves semi-finalist in 2004. She began coaching athletes in 1986 and has been involved as a personal exercise and fitness trainer since 1994. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe as an athlete and coach and has been involved in consulting, coaching and teaching a wide range of sports including but not limited to; Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Softball, Baseball, Football, Archery, Bowling, Figure Skating, Hockey, Boxing, Wrestling, Field Sports, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Track and Field, and Tennis.
Dr. Miele is a level 2 Certified Service Technician for the International Association of Trampoline Parks. She serves on the Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and Facilities Committee and currently serves and assists on the task force that is in the process of creating the standards for Amusement Challenge Areas. She has given numerous presentations on the topics of sport injury prevention as well as supervision and safety in Amusement Challenge Courses / Trampoline Parks Risk Management.
Litigation Support - Dr. Miele is an expert in fitness, sport and recreation with specific expertise in sports psychology, coaching, recreation, personal training, fitness facilities management/operations, and injury prevention. She is an accomplished athlete as well as an experienced trainer, coach and teacher. She provides expert witness services to attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant. Her services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.
Dr. Miele has relevant experience in the proper teaching standards required by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) for the:
- Proper Supervision Before, During, and After School
- Skill Progression and Instruction
- Proper Use of Safety Equipment
- Practices related to the Role and Responsibilities of Teachers and Administrators
Areas of Expertise:
- Fitness Facility Operations including Personal Training, Supervision, Risk Management, and Injury Prevention
- Physical Education, Sport and Recreation-Risk Management
- School / Teacher Supervision
- Proper Coaching Training Practices and Procedures in Sports
- Gymnastics, Trampoline Parks / Amusement Challenge Courses
- Emergency Preparation and Response in Schools, Fitness and Sport Facilities
Fitness facilities provide a number of services to the public. Those services encompass how to train and create an overall healthy being. There are national standards and guidelines that fitness facilities must follow in order to keep their members safe. Some issues that large and small fitness facilities have in common are the lack of knowledge regarding safe practices in the fitness industry
Injury prevention programs have a positive effect on performance and the reduction of risk in most studies and reviews. However, not all teams and coaches utilize them. In order to better understand this, a 19-item survey was conducted to assess high school coaches’ perceptions, attitudes, and current practices regarding knee injury prevention among adolescent athletes
Sport participation has increased substantially in the last decade, and so has the incidence of sport-related injuries. Today, over six million students are involved in competitive high school sports across the United States. Even more students are involved in organized club sports- baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse, hockey, cheerleading, volleyball, wrestling and more.
An indoor trampoline park contains wall-to-wall trampolines, bordered either by angled trampoline walls or padding. Recently these parks have added features such as ninja courses, hanging nets, trapeze, wipe out, spider walls, foam obstacles and towers, to name few. All of these features require risk analysis to assist in keeping the public safe.
Professor Heraghty currently serves as Chairperson of Health, Physical Education and Sport Management at the State University of New York (SUNY) college at Suffolk. Prior to this role, he served as the Fitness & Aquatics Director and Men's Head Lacrosse Coach at SUNY Suffolk. He is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) credentialed by the National Recreation and Park Association and is also certified by the National Program for Playground Safety. He currently serves on the Sports Equipment, Playing Services, and Facilities committee with the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM). 
