PLAYSAFE - Key Persons
Alyssa joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in the summer of 2023. Prior to UCSF, Alyssa worked as an Athletic Trainer at the University of Michigan, providing care for various teams, including women's soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, cross country, and women's basketball, after completing her Master's at the University of Michigan in 2022. While pursuing her Master's degree, Alyssa also completed a summer internship with the Houston Ballet, where she provided sports medicine care to both company and academy dancers. Alyssa is also a proud alumnus of San Diego State University with a Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training.
At UCSF, Alyssa has served as the head athletic trainer for both Balboa and San Francisco International High Schools.
In her free time, Alyssa enjoys traveling, teaching and taking yoga, running, and trying new restaurants. Alyssa strives to make a difference in the well-being of athletic and non-athletic populations through movement medicine.
Job Titles:
- Certified Athletic Trainer / ADT Ortho Inst. Pros Clinic
Amy joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in the spring of 2025. Prior to her arrival at UCSF, Amy was the Head Athletic Trainer of the Oakland Soul and Project 51O soccer teams, and the Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Oakland Roots.
Dr. Celina de Borja is a board-certified pediatrician with fellowship training and certification in sports medicine, who cares for children, adolescents, and young adults with a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions. In addition to general pediatric orthopedics, her areas of interest include sports and dance medicine, injury prevention, and bone health.
Denise has been with UCSF since 2021 and has made an immediate impact as the head athletic trainer at Washington and Wallenberg High Schools. Denise's interest in athletic training started at Foothill College in 2014. After receiving her associate's degree in Athletic Injury Prevention Care and Kinesiology, she continued her studies at San José State University and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training in 2021.
At UCSF, Denise has helped to improve our athletic training services in the SFUSD by providing continuing education on a variety of sport safety topics to our AT team and coordinating our complicated playoff and championship schedules to ensure we are providing care at as many events as possible. She also has been assisting with triage for the UCSF Sports Concussion Clinic to ensure our concussion patients are able to schedule with our providers timely.
Elise joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in the fall of 2008. Elise has worked at many schools within the SFUSD over her tenure with UCSF, the longest and most impactful being with Abraham Lincoln and John O'Connell High Schools. Elise has been an active and incredibly important part of the growth of the PlaySafe Program and our services within the SFUSD. She strongly believes in the vision of the program to bring athletic trainers to active populations that lack access and healthcare resources. Elise has spent years creating a referral network for our SFUSD student-athletes of any insurance (even those that lack of insurance) to access timely specialty sports medicine care. Elise has also served on the PlaySafe Cardiac PPE Planning Committee since the event's inception and has been instrumental in coordinating all aspects of this large event with primary role of the organization of athlete registration.
Elise has a special interest in sports concussions. It is because of this interest that she was asked to serve as the Lead of UCSF Sports Concussion Program within UCSF Sports Medicine. She helped to launch this clinic in 2012 and continues to work to triage patients and ensure timely access to our concussion providers. She has been invited numerous times to lecture on best practices for management of sports concussions and annually pursues continuing education in this topic area.
Prior to her arrival at UCSF, Elise served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of California, Berkeley from 2005-2008, where she worked with football, women's gymnastics, and track & field/cross country. In 2004, Elise received her bachelor's degree from Oregon State University in Exercise and Sport Science, with an emphasis in Athletic Training and minors in Psychology and Music. Along her Athletic Training journey, Elise was an undergraduate athletic training intern at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and became a Certified EMT. She gained athletic training experience with the LMU Athletic Training team while working as an EMT with the Women of Wrestling and an ambulance company in LA County. Just before transferring to OSU, Elise did an internship with the Los Angeles Avengers Arena Football Team which solidified her desire to pursue a career in athletic training.
Garrison joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in the summer of 2022. Prior to his arrival at UCSF, Garrison was the Head Athletic Trainer at Academy of Art University. Garrison received his bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from the University of the Pacific in 2017 and his master's degree in Health and Human Movement from Utah State in 2019. While at Utah State, Garrison worked with the football and men's tennis teams. After completing his master's degree, Garrison did a two-year internship with the San Francisco 49ers. Garrison is also published author in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training for his research in the use of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature in Division 1 College Football.
At UCSF, Garrison is the Head Athletic Trainer at Academy High School and has quickly become a leader in the Sports Medicine Clinic. Due to his strong communication skills, teamwork and attention to detail, Garrison has already been recruited to serve on several patient safety committees at UCSF
Hally joined UCSF and the PlaySafe Program in August 2016. Hally has provided AT services at a variety of PlaySafe high schools over her career at UCSF, the most notable being
Mission and Thurgood Marshall High Schools in the SFUSD where she currently serves as head athletic trainer. Hally strives to help her student-athletes navigate the complicated healthcare system and to be a resource for the athletic community. She launched PlaySafe's first Insurance Initiative and created resources for families to have accurate information and assistance to enroll in free or low-cost health insurance. Hally also serves on the PlaySafe Cardiac PPE Planning Committee and has been instrumental in coordinating all aspects of this large event with primary role of volunteer recruitment and management.
At the clinic, because of her interest in navigating insurance and referrals, Hally has become our expert assisting our athletes and patients with quick access to our specialists. She directly supports the UCSF Concussion Clinic and helps to triage referrals and troubleshoot insurance barriers. Hally has also been instrumental in improving the Orthopaedic Department's online presence with updating websites and patient facing resources.
Hally received her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2014. During her undergraduate internship, she worked with UNLV football, baseball, and softball, as well as local high schools. In 2016, Hally received her Master of Arts in Athletic Training from San José State University and served as a graduate assistant at San Francisco State University's with the Women's soccer and softball teams.
Hannah joined the UCSF PlaySafe program in the summer of 2022. She received her Bachelor of Athletic Training at Boston University in 2019. After graduation, Hannah worked with Precision Athletic Training, providing athletic training services for numerous collegiate, high school, and middle schools in the greater Boston area. Prior to moving to California in 2020, Hannah traveled and worked as a licensed Athletic Trainer in the Phoenix area while climbing the red rocks in Sedona, AZ. Hannah has been the head athletic trainer for Urban High School since she joined UCSF. She has been integral in bringing injury prevention, functional movement training, and concussion education to the athletic community at Urban. Hannah believes athletic trainers in the high school setting are vital for student-athletes to gain access to appropriate healthcare and specialists in order to be screened early on and minimize delay in care. She hopes to aid the profession to help reduce the load on the healthcare system.
Hannah comes from a big family of sports enthusiasts and enjoys watching basketball and volleyball.
Kimberly joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in April 2025. Before coming to UCSF, she taught Sports Medicine and Introduction to Health Careers at the high school level in the Tri-Valley area. She also served as a Graduate Assistant at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she worked with the Women's Volleyball and Basketball teams, as well as the Men's and Women's Tennis programs.
She earned her Bachelor's degree in Sport Sciences with an emphasis in Sports Medicine from the University of the Pacific, where she worked with the Baseball, Football, and Softball teams. She later completed her Master's degree in Kinesiology at Fresno Pacific University.
Kimberly brings a diverse background in both clinical and educational settings. Her experience includes serving as the Head Athletic Trainer at Granada High School, working in physical therapy clinics, and contributing to programs focused on aquatic therapy, youth fitness, oncology, cardiac rehabilitation, and pulmonary therapy. She has also served as an Athletic Trainer for several major events, including the Little League World Series 50/70 Division, the PGA Nationwide Golf Tour, and the Volleyball Festival in Davis, CA, which hosted over 10,000 athletes each summer from 1994-2004.
At UCSF, Kimberly will be serving as an Athletic Trainer at Lowell High School, the Orthopedic Institute clinic, and the Redwood Shores Specialty Care Clinic. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time at the beach, swimming, and volunteering in the community.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Athletic Trainers
Michael joined the UCSF PlaySafe athletic training staff in the spring of 2015. He has provided AT services at a variety of PlaySafe high schools over his career and currently serves as the head athletic trainer at Burton and June Jordan High Schools. In the spring of 2021 Michael was promoted to Senior Athletic Trainer due to his leadership skills and dedication to the program. In this role he serves as the Sports Medicine Department clinic lead, lead athletic trainer of the UCSF Race Medical Team, and helps to set the vision for the PlaySafe Program overall. In the clinic, Michael works with the attending physicians /allied health providers and clinic management team to ensure patient safety and enhance the patient experience in our clinics. With the UCSF Race Medical Team, Michael directs all aspects of the race coordination including planning, volunteer recruitment and management, budgets, patient referrals, and marketing.
Michael believes that athletic trainers in high schools play a unique and necessary role in the lives of young athletes. Especially those who often encounter barriers to adequate healthcare. In the secondary school setting, athletic trainers are uniquely placed to provide medical services to young athletes who may go without care otherwise. As well as being necessary conduits to other healthcare professionals, when needed, through referrals to Orthopedic Surgeons, Dieticians, Psychologists, Neurologists, Primary Care, and many more.
Prior to his arrival at UCSF, Michael worked as the athletic trainer for Valley Christian High School-Dublin from 2014-2015. Michael received his Master of Science degree in Exercise Science from the University of Toledo, Ohio while working as a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the women's volleyball team and men's tennis team from 2012-2014. Michael is also a graduate of San José State University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology, emphasis in Athletic Training.
In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and spending time with his family.
Morgan joined the UCSF PlaySafe program in March of 2025, bringing a diverse background in athletic training and sports performance to the team. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from San Diego State University in 2017 before pursuing a Master's in Sports Performance at Point Loma Nazarene University. While completing her graduate studies, she worked as a graduate assistant at the University of San Diego, where she was later hired as a full-time staff member.
Morgan, a Bay Area native, returned home to transition into a clinical role in San Francisco. While working at a private orthopedic practice, she specialized in injury evaluation, post-operative rehabilitation, surgical education, and fitness assessments for her patients. Her experience in both collegiate athletics and the clinical setting has shaped her holistic approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Morgan is excited to be the Head Athletic Trainer at Galileo High School, where she will support student-athletes by providing injury prevention, rehabilitation, and education on maintaining their health and performance both on and off the field. She is passionate about ensuring young athletes receive the care they need to stay active and recover safely. She believes that access to proper healthcare and education is essential for young athletes to build a strong foundation for lifelong movement and well-being.
Outside of work, Morgan loves exploring new restaurants with friends and family, running through the redwoods or along the coast with her dog, Porter, and fueling her competitive drive by playing volleyball and soccer.