Suzanne Konz, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS
Program Director, Undergraduate and Graduate Biomechanics
School of Health & Movement Sciences, Professor, Biomechanics
Phone: 304-696-2926
Office Location: Gullickson Hall F Level, GH 208A
E-mail: konz@marshall.edu
Suzanne M. Konz, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS, is a Professor of Biomechanics and currently serves as the Program Director of Strength and Conditioning and as the Program director of Biomechanics for the School of Health and Movement Sciences at Marshall University. A native of Iowa, Dr. Konz received a Ph.D. in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science in Kinesiology from Indiana University – Bloomington, and a Bachelor of Science from Iowa Wesleyan College. Suzanne has worked as a certified athletic trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist in clinical, high school, collegiate, and professional athletic settings for over 25 years. Suzanne was appointed the chair of the NATA’s Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) in 2019 having served as COPE member for nine previous years. She also serves as the WVATA’s Governmental Affairs Committee chair assisting the WVATA in advocating for athlete health and safety in the State of West Virginia. Her research interests include concussion, sports performance as it relates to injury risk and prevention, hammer throw technique, and equipment reliability. Dr. Konz’s concussion research surrounds low load, high-frequency activities and the effect on brain health. The concussion research group was awarded a NASA Director’s Discretionary Grant. She is involved with USA Track & Field as a member of the Sports Science Biomechanics group, specializing in the throwing events and is specifically assigned to hammer throw. She has worked with this group assisting Olympic caliber athletes improve performance since 2003. The USATF Sport Science group uses the latest technology to provide instant feedback as well as 3-D analysis of technique kinematics and kinetics. Dr. Konz was awarded the C. Harmon Brown award in 2019 by USATF to acknowledge the benefit her work has contributed to the athletes and coaches of USATF at the national level. Suzanne also has worked the NFL Combine performing isokinetic testing on NFL prospects since 2009.
Find out more about Dr. Konz in this 2015 Marshall Minute video.
Steven Leigh, PhD
School of Health & Movement Sciences, Associate Professor, Biomechanics
Phone: 304-696-5405
Office Location: Gullickson Hall F Level, GH 208B
E-mail: leighs@marshall.edu
Dr. Steven Leigh, PhD, AMinstP is an Associate Professor of Biomechanics with the School of Health & Movement Sciences at Marshall University. He studied physics and sports science at Loughborough University in the UK and then completed his doctoral work in biomechanics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He analyzed the throwing motion of elite javelin and discus throwers for USA track and field to help them improve their performance and reduce their risk for injury. Steve is interested in the complex interrelationships between technique, athletic performance, and injury and wants to better understand how people’s perceptual ability affects the production of precise and coordinated movement patterns. He has investigated how court positioning affects basketball players’ shooting movement patterns, and how visualization and spatial awareness training can improve the quality of movements made by basketball and soccer players. Steve is also interested in finding ways to apply biomechanical analysis techniques outside of the lab setting. He is working with clinicians to explore the use of wearable technology and smartphone cameras to provide real-time feedback to athletes to improve their proprioception and quality of their movement patterns.